The Set Up
by Niqsta
Summary: Life is full of little plans, everything is ultimately a set-up. An easy way of life to comprehend and live by, but for some - they learn the hard way. Surviving through life's set-ups is the only way to achieve what Rinoa desires most - Squall. AU
1. Introductions and Invitations

**ATT: This is my first fanfic. Hope you like it, if you dont, maybe there will be something you will like in the future.**

**Disclaimer: Squareenix owns all characters, and all characters are fictional anyways.**

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Chapter 1 - Introductions and Invitations

The alarm clock sitting on the night-stand table next to the bed turned to 7:00am and within a millisecond an alarm could be heard. The bed with dishevelled bed sheets carried a very annoyed young man. The boy roughly threw the sheets away from his body and slammed down on the alarm forcing the ongoing tune to stop.  
As he got up from bed he walked across the room and in the same manner threw open the curtains resulting in a flood of light spreading through the room eating away at the darkness that once was only a few seconds ago comforting him. He squinted into the sunlight and shortly grabbed some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom to get ready for school.

* * *

The alarm clock sitting on the night-stand table next to the bed turned to 7:00am and within a millisecond an alarm could be heard. The figure lying on the right side of the bed yawned and placed a hand on the alarm's 'stop' button forcing the tune to stop. The figure lying on the bed arched its back, spread its arms and legs, pulled at its muscles crying out slight cries of morning pleasure. Rolling over and facing the blonde sleeping on the left it could make out that she still had her eyes closed. A few streaks of hair were covering the blonde's face. The figure blew into the blonde's face trying to remove the hair. A grumble from the blonde's mouth at first could be heard. Laughing the figure attempted again to blow into the blonde's face. This time the blonde was more receptive.

"mmm… Squall." The blonde still had her eyes closed but faintly murmured. The figure laughed and blew again into the blonde's face getting the same reply. Finally after becoming bored of the same reply, the figure started tickling the blonde. At this the blonde shot open her eyes and burst into a series of laughter a second later.

"st… sto…. Stop… please… stop…" The blonde attempted through her laughter. The figure kept on tickling at the blonde's side all the while laughing.

"please… stop… STOP IT RINOA!" The blonde finally managed to break free still laughing and looked at the raven haired figure sitting on her bed.

"I knew that would wake you up" Rinoa said through giggles. She lay back down in bed and looked up at the plastered ceiling.

"Rinoa when I said to wake me up if I ignored my alarm, I didn't mean tickle me to death". Quistis said getting up slowly and opening her curtains. She turned to look at the girl accompanying her room only to find her staring straight at her. "What?" She asked curiously.

The girl smiled, her eyes flickering mischievously "Quisty, who is Squall?"

* * *

Running back into his room Squall quickly made his bed, he grabbed his school bag and headed straight downstairs and into the kitchen. His dad was already in the kitchen cooking the morning meal; eggs could be heard sizzling in the pan along side turkey sausages. Squall picked up a piece of buttered toast and walked over to the counter to get some coffee.

"Morning sunshine" Laguna excitedly cried.

"Whatever…" Squall mumbled. If any one knew better, it was Laguna, that Squall was not a morning person and didn't like to be disturbed. But if anyone knew any better and acted opposite to what was expected, it was Laguna.

"Ooh someone is a bit grouchy today. If I don't see a smile on that face I guess I'll just have to give you a frowny-side-down" Laguna attempted at a lame joke.

"Whatever, just move and I'll make my own breakfast" Squall said and moved to take the pan off Laguna's hand.

"No! A chef mus never allo a su chief to take away his kitchen! You want dis pan, you will have to fight! On guard!" Laguna mimicked in a poorly French accent and pulled out his spatula as a form of weapon.

Squall merely rolled his eyes and walked to the breakfast table. "You're a moron" he finally said sitting down and sipping on his coffee.

"Hey, I am your father and I take great offence. I'm definitely giving you a frowny now!" Laguna giggled and turned back to the stove.

"Squall getting another frowny what did he do this time?" Spoke a soft cheerful voice. Ellone walked into the kitchen smiling but her gaze focused on the watch she was trying to secure onto her wrist. She walked up to Laguna planted a kiss on his cheek and murmured good mornings.

"Oh he called me a moron, can you believe that?" Laguna said in a mock surprised look.

"Yes I can." Ellone joked and walked up to her brother to pat his back and placed her cheek to his letting a kiss sound out from her mouth.

"See he lets you kiss him, but he won't even let me touch him!" Laguna cried carrying a very over animated frown.

"That's because I don't want your germs" Squall replied in a monotone voice.

"Hey it was my germs that brought you into this world." Laguna retorted.

"Yuck don't remind me" Squall grimaced.

"I don't get any love in this house." Laguna cried again, faking a wiping of a tear.

"Aww, I love you Dad" Ellone said playing along.

"I don't." Squall said refusing to play along.

Ellone laughed and slightly hit squall for being so insensitive. "Would you like a hug dad?" She tried to persuade him.

"Yes, but from Squall." Laguna shyly asked, circling his foot across one of the kitchen floor tiles.

"No bloody way." Squall answered quickly.

"Go on Squall, he made us breakfast, it's the least you could do" Ellone pipped in.

Laguna brought forward the two plates carrying the breakfast and set it down onto the table. "Its OK, I'll just wait for him to go to bed like I normally do, then he cuddles me." Laguna said cheerfully.

"Oh my God, are you serious?" Ellone laughed into her orange juice.

"He's lying!" Squall glared at his father.

"Am I? You know you mumble things in your sleep Squall, I think the night before last it was something like 'Seifer… I… Love…." before Laguna could finish the sentence Squall grabbed an apple off the fruit bowl in front of him and hurled it at the brown haired man.

"I'm joking!" Laguna yelled laughing. Ellone couldn't help laughing along at the expense Squall had to go through in the mornings. "Anyways kids, have fun at school, Ellone make sure you at least go to one of your lectures, Squall don't get into any trouble at school. Finally, they are some leftovers and microwaveable meals in the fridge, if not here is 50gil for pizza. Don't wait up for me tonight; I may be back very late."

Laguna walked over to Ellone once he had his coat and shoes on and planted a kiss on her head, patted squall on his back and made his way out the kitchen.

"I still can't believe we're related to that man." Squall spoke incredulously.

"Well, you are, I on the other hand have the benefits of being adopted!" Ellone said and poked her tongue out.

"Yeah well you may be adopted, but I think somewhere down the line you must be related to him somehow, you turned out just as crazy as he is." Squall retorted with a smirk. Ellone loved it when Squall smiled, something he rarely did after the death of their mother. She died a couple of years ago but even now Squall was still distant, always silent and speaking only when spoken to.

She caught him smirking again and heard a whisper of "Laguna" as he shook his head. Looking down at her plate she could make out two eggs for eyes, a triangular hash brown as a nose and a jumbo turkey sausage curved to form a smile. She compared hers to Squall's and at first couldn't see any difference, until she noticed the sausage curved downwards forming a frown.

"Gotta admit, he makes our lives full of laughter." she chuckled and dived in.

* * *

"So let me get this straight? You like someone that is basically a brick wall?" Rinoa said exasperated. For half an hour the two girls were sitting over breakfast in the kitchen talking about Quistis's crush.

"Rinoa he is not a brick wall. After his mum died he kinda just closed up. Seifer is the only one that he actually properly converses with." Quistis said concentrating on her dish washing ability.

"So I was right, he is a brick wall; he doesn't talk. Why would you like someone that doesn't talk? It'd be so boring going out to dinner when you are the only one constantly doing the talking. Better yet, might as well just go out on your own, that way you save money on the food. Haha." Rinoa laughed.

"Rinoa, it's natural to close up when some one passes away." Quistis shook her head feeling a bit sad at how the conversation was turning out.

"I know." Rinoa said rather seriously. At which Quistis immediately smiled sympathetically. Rinoa's mother had died when Rinoa was quite young. Her mother was a well know singer and died in a car crash while touring.

"Crap! Its 8'o'clock I got to get going, I'll see you when I get back, maybe we can grab some takeaway tonight?" Quistis said while gathering her belongs together and walking towards the front door of the house.

Rinoa followed after her "Yeah, but I'll be popping into your school about 11:30 so maybe I'll see you then as well?"

"Err, yeah if you stick around for longer than an hour, lunch break isn't until 12:30 so if you're still around just text me" Quistis said and walked into her car.

"Quisty?" Rinoa called her name. "If you really like this guy, I'll help you. My dad gave me some tickets to this new movie that's coming out, it think he was trying to make it easy for to make friends. Anyways here" Rinoa handed Quistis an envelope with the tickets "give them to him, ask him to the movies".

"What if he says no?" Quistis asked disappointed?

"Well, there is four in there, tell him it's a group thing, that way he wont worry so much and it will be more relaxed. If you can find someone for me, then ill come along with a bat and make him go out with you" she joked.

Rinoa waved from the front door and stepped back into the house closing the heavy oak door behind her. She ran up the stair and walked into guest room - her new room. She had arrived last night around 11:30pm and was so tired she couldn't be bothered to unpack. Although staying up until 2:30am talking to Quistis about how exciting her moving here, would have at least gotten her a bit settled in.

She threw open the biggest suitcase and took out a thin black V-neck jumper, a blue sleeveless zipper and dark blue jeans. She headed towards the bathroom to take a shower. Once she got the temperature right she jumped in and started shampooing her hair. Rinoa's thoughts moved to her life in Balamb, she loved it in Deling City, it was a bright, loud and exuberant city that was similar to her own character. Balamb was quieter, calm and settled, but she was willing to give it a shot.  
Finished with her shower she dressed herself and went to blow dry her hair.

* * *

Squall sat on a desk at the back of the class room. It was a Tuesday and his first lesson was English Literature, a subject which he was fairly good at last year. He preferred science and maths over to his literature classes but at least he got to find out about some good books.

The students started settling into their seats in silence when the teacher came in. He placed his briefcase onto the table and started to call their names out. He liked this teacher, he had him the previous year and noticed he was quiet like Squall and only spoke when something of benefit was to be said.

"Seifer… Seifer Almasy? That boy is always late!" Mr Valentine muttered while reaching over for his red pen.

Just as he got the lid off the door slammed open and a dishevelled blond broad-shouldered boy barged into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late." He smiled at the teacher.

"Mr Almasy, care to explain why you're late this time? Or have we run out of excuses this year?" Mr Valentine asked in a rather careless tone.

"Yeah some old woman in the car in front of mine died, so I got stuck in traffic" Seifer said making his way towards his seat next to Squall's.

"How sad, maybe next time you could leave home a bit earlier so you won't be disturbed by old women randomly dying in the front seat of their car." Mr Valentine rolled his eyes and continued to call out names from the registrar.

"Sup." Seifer asked Squall, rolling his hand into a fist and connecting it with Squall's.

The class went by quickly, it was a double so after the first 50 minutes when the bell rang indicating the next period the class remained continuing their session. Squall liked this year's choice of topics, at the moment they would be studying 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' a book Squall had read previously given to him by his mother. Although it was a sad book, he enjoyed how Scout and Jem grew up in a small town much like how he and Ellone grew up in Balamb.

He was just finishing off answering a question from the board when he heard Seifer call his name. "Dude, she is totally checking you out." Seifer laughed.

Squall didn't bother looking up, he knew it was Quistis, she had been subtly letting him know since the end of term last year that she had a keen interest in him. Unfortunately for Squall it was an interest he had much rather not have. At first he didn't mind, but after what he thought was his forward way of letting her know he wasn't interested she still hadn't taken the hint and still persisted. What made it worse was that deep down he knew Seifer really liked her. Seifer had liked Quistis when they were 5 and just started their first year at school, he would always run and ask Quistis to pair with him for any activities. Squall would normally go off with Zell or Irvine and let Seifer have his Quisty. Once they got to middle school, Quisty soon got tired of Squall and Seifer and started making friends with a lot more girls. Seifer and Squall both understood she needed female companionship and grew closer to their male friends.

Now however, he felt guilty, unwillingly he had taken Seifer's girl, he had Quistis's love and attention and worse, he rejected it. He dared to look at Seifer and could make out sadness in his smile. He looked over at Quistis who only smiled once he made eye contact.

"Squall, do me a favour and just ask her out." Seifer said unexpectedly.

"What?" Squall could only reply. They had this conversation many times before, at first it would end up in an argument, both accusing the other of jeopardising the friendship or worse pitying one another. Then it became a bit more bearable, where Squall would just remain silent to signify the ending of the subject and Seifer would just curse.

"Look, I know she likes you a lot, and she is a really good girl, she deserves a chance, you might like her you know." Seifer said enthusiastically.

"Dude no way, I don't like her like that, plus you got a thing for her anyways, totally off putting." Squall said shaking his head.

"I know but I was thinking this weekend, I can get any girl I want, so it's alright if she is seeing someone else, dude just give her a chance." Seifer pleaded.

"Alright" Squall replied. Squall looked at Seifer's face and noticed that millisecond of surprise in his face, but Seifer just smiled.

"Sweet." the blond replied and went on to finish his work.

Once class was over and Squall made his way to his next lesson, he spotted Quistis with her friends; they noticed Squall and started giggling. Quistis looked over to Squall and made her way.

"Hey Squall." She said sweetly.

"Hey." he replied barely audible.

"How was your summer?" She asked trying to get more out of their conversation.

"Yeah ok, just visited family."

"Cool. Yeah we went to visit my cousin; she's starting here this term while her dad's on a research trip in Centra." She said happily. "Erm, anyways, I was wondering if you were free this weekend? I got four tickets to that new film _The Lost City of Zanarkand _and was thinking of taking my cousin since she's new here an all."

"Sure." Squall replied without much expression.

Quistis's face went through a series of shock, surprise and excitement. "Seriously? Cool, erm, well here take two you could bring Seifer along, I think those two may get along." She said cheerfully, but Squall knew the hint. She wanted it to be a double date; he guessed maybe he should give her a chance. A chance for him to get Seifer to come along with them and let Seifer work his charm on her.

"Yeah, maybe you might even get along with someone too." Squall commented, and walked into his class.

It was only after he settled into his seat and rewound the scene in his head, he realised that his words had an alternate suggestion. Shaking the scene from his head and concentrating on the teacher's lecture Squall endured through the next 50 minutes.

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Rinoa pulled up to a four storey red bricked building covered with white framed glass windows. The school was relatively big for a small town but she guessed that since most people would have attended Balamb High due to its big facility and location. Balamb had only a handful of high schools that were scattered around its small town. Balamb High although had only a main building with four stories, it was a long building and had other smaller buildings scattered around its campus.

Once in the building, Rinoa walked up to the front desk and informed the receptionist of her presence. After handing in the necessary legal forms, she was an enrolled student and was given her new timetable for the year complete with the additional subjects she chose.

"Ok Miss Heartilly, you can tour the school building once a representative gets here, you will start your lessons tomorrow though once all subject material books are catered for you." The receptionist informed her while picking up the phone. "Hi, its Xu, we have a new student here could you send a school rep? Oh it doesn't matter which one, any will do."

Rinoa looked around the outside of the reception office, she could make out a staircase leading to an upper floor, lockers were lined against the wall and doors were placed in between some of them. She didn't realise but she had taken a couple of steps outside the office and was standing in the foyer.

It was at that moment she felt someone smack into her. Nearly falling over until a hand grabbed her she looked into the person who had nearly knocked her down.

"Sorry" he said. He was blond, his eyes were green and he was wearing a really mischievous smile.

"It's ok." She said trying to sound polite. She was new here and was a bit surprised by his apology. Back in Deling City, anyone that bumped into you would normally shout at you to watch where you were going, forgetting the simple fact that they bumped into you.

"I'm Seifer, Seifer Almasy, you new here?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, Oh sorry, I'm Rinoa Heartilly" She managed to speak out.

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Squall threw his backpack strap onto his shoulder and made his way down the stairs following Nida, sent to collect him for what he stupidly signed up for last year. He was a school representative, which meant he did all the dirty work for the school, like attending school functions, quizzes, sports championships and what he detested the most, showing new students around.

As he made his way down the last few steps he noticed Seifer talking to someone, he wanted to stop and tell his friend about the new deal with Quistis and his idea to get the two together, but he thought better of it and followed Nida.

"Oh hello Squall, the new student is just outside in the foyer, I think she is talking to Seifer, just give her a general tour and show her where her locker is." Xu said handing him a locker key.

"Ok." Squall mumbled and made his way towards Seifer and the new student. He thought about maybe asking Seifer to do the tour for him since he kind of owed him for the set up with Quistis.

"Ahh here is your tour guide, my man Squall." Seifer said cheerfully pointing towards Squall.

Squall merely smirked and looked down at the new student. His breath stopped short for a few seconds as he took in her beauty. She had raven black hair with front dark brown highlights emphasising the fairness of her face. Her eyes were the shape of almonds the colour of her irises chocolate brown surrounded in long curved eyelashes.

"Squall huh?" She asked playfully.

"Ah… erm…" Squall could only nod, which made the girl laugh. He realised then he would've liked to hear that sound a lot. Something about this girl's laughter was pleasing and warm. Her smile was accepting and innocent and made Squall want to smile as wide as she was doing. He was all of a sudden very happy he signed up to be a representative, giving this girl a tour of the school was something he could secretly enjoy.

"I'm Rinoa, I think you know my cousin, Quistis?" Rinoa quickly informed him.

_Crap!_ Thought Squall.

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**This chapter is dedicated to n9neSTAR because she is cool and everyone should read her story, it rocks!  
Review this since i went over it and fixed those silly mistakes.**


	2. All About Favourites

**Ok people sorry for the late update, been really busy with a lot of things. This chapter isnt really a big insight into the story just a brief look at the characters.  
Some of you might not like my take or involvement in the game, but this is what i think the characters would have thought of other FFs, plus it was fun to write!**

Disclaimer: Dont own a damn thing! All Final Fantasy characters belong to SquareEnix!

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Chapter 2 - All about favourites

Rinoa walked alongside the mute tour guide noticing his walk and general posture. From his build she could tell he worked out; he was lean and muscular in the right places. She would say he was about five foot eight inches give or take. His medium brown hair fell from his head onto parts of his face, mostly covering the top of his cheeks and parts of his eyebrows.

"Erm Squall?" She spoke softly. He turned to look at her briefly.

"This is a tour guide right? Shouldn't you, you know, like talk?" She said while lightly chuckling.

"What exactly am I supposed to say?" Squall retorted. He didn't like talking to this girl, he felt he had to think about every word carefully before letting them escape from his mouth.

"I don't know, but make it fun!" Rinoa laughed, folding her arms onto her chest and waiting for him as if he were to perform a magic trick.

"Well… this is the library, most people come to read, others just come to check out the cute Library Girl" Squall replied in a monotone.

"Cute Library Girl? Do you have a crush on someone Squall?" Rinoa giggled.

"Yes" Squall replied. Rinoa gasped at this, but instantly felt a wave of remorse for Quistis.

_That's why he won't go out with her_.

"But not Library Girl, I don't really go for girls with pigtails" _Well I didn't really go for girls until I saw you._ Squall thought to himself. _Wait that didn't come out right!_

"Oh, but there is someone?" Rinoa smiled, she wanted more from this conversation. But unfortunately for her Squall just turned on his heels and walked out of the library and headed towards the huge circular fountain in the foyer.

"Ok well, lastly we have the Quad and the Infirmary, if you get hurt, this is where you will go, and the Quad is where we hold all our functions, except the major ones like the Graduation Ball" Squall informed the newcomer and looked at his wrist inspecting the time. It was 10 minutes past lunchtime and he was getting quite hungry, not only that but he was due to meet Zell to get the latest video game off him. "So that concludes our tour." He finally ended and started walking away.

Squall was finally reaching the Cafeteria when he noticed small hurried steps next to him, turning slightly as he kept walking he noticed Rinoa still following him trying to keep up. She noticed him staring at her and smiled before opening her mouth to explain.

"I noticed you headed in the same direction, I am going to meet Quistis, honestly, I'm not following you". She explained.

"Whatever." Was all Squall replied.

Walking into through the double doors of the Cafeteria Rinoa noticed round tables seated for six spread across the floor. Each table was more or less filled with students excitedly talking about their first day at school and half eaten lunches being left stranded.

Scanning the wide room Rinoa finally noticed Quistis at the back talking to a girl with short brown hair seated next to a boy in a cowboy hat and a couple of other kids. She noticed one of them to be Seifer who was talking to and equally blond boy, shorter but with a vivid tattoo on his face.

Squall also spotted the gang and pointed towards them talking to Rinoa at the same time. "Well there's your cousin, I'm heading that direction too" He didn't have to offer, Rinoa knew he meant she could follow him.

Once they reached the table Rinoa noticed the cowboy hat boy talking to a teacher and showing her a bruise on his shin. As they neared the woman looked up and smiled at Squall and Rinoa.

"Hello Squall, I don't think I've ever seen you with a girl before, is she your girlfriend?" The woman replied. Rinoa giggled and looked at Squall as he was put on the spot, she could see his cheeks were growing red.

"Yes" Squall coolly replied. A series of gasps were heard and Rinoa chuckled herself.

"Oh my God, Squall are you serious?" Rinoa laughed, she knew he wasn't by the facial expression he had before he replied. "Because you know I am going to take it seriously?"

"I'm serious" Squall replied. He wasn't serious, but it was the only way he could get out of being made of fun of being seen with a girl. Sure he had never had a girlfriend before or even hung out with girls, but was it so impossible for people to think he could have a girlfriend?

"Oh" Rinoa was shocked. She actually didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'm seriously joking." Squall finally continued. The tattooed boy and his friends started laughing at the scene.

"Well anyways, good to see you again Squall, do stay out of trouble this year, save you from any more scars" The woman replied and nodded towards Rinoa before walking away.

Squall sat down next to the tattooed boy and Rinoa walked across the other side and sat on the vacant chair next to Quistis. "Hey" she said cheerfully to her cousin and instantly noticed the sadness in her face.

Quistis shook herself and then took a deep breath. "Guys this is Rinoa my cousin from Galbadia. She arrived last night and will be starting here." She introduced Rinoa to the gang and told her their names.

The brown headed girl was Selphie Quistis's long time friend, Irvine was the one with the cowboy hat and the tattooed faced boy was known as Zell.

They all displayed the well mannered greetings and the general questions about Galbadia.

"So how comes you moved here Rinoa?" Zell asked through a mouthful of hotdog.

"Zell, at least swallow before you talk, you're going to put her off from hanging with us for the next year" Selphie said disgusted.

"No its ok, well I moved because my dad thought it would be better if I finished off school in a town that was more quite. My family are going through quite a lot of trouble and some issues so they thought it wasn't fair if I was put through that." Rinoa replied.

The group were a bit silent with a few sympathetic 'mhmm's. That's when it hit Rinoa what her sentence had meant. "Oh its not like that, its not like I'm from some troubled family, my dad just works a hectic life" she tried to clarify. To be honest she didn't want the attention to follow her which is why she didn't bother to tell her new friends. It wasn't something she liked boasting about. She had moved to Balamb because her dad thought it would be better if the press didn't bother her in her last two years at school. Since Galbadia and Esthar had reconciled after years of war Rinoa's father the General was always under the spotlight about how and why all of a sudden the two countries were joining forces. Not only that but the General was married to the late Julia Heartilly the famous singer. So either way Rinoa was sure to be spotted by press.

"Dude, you got my game?" Squall finally pipped into the conversation.

"Oh my God, dude I totally forgot to give it to you" Zell said excitedly.

The atmosphere of the table immediately changed as the boys all sat up and anticipated as Zell rummaged through his bag. Selphie and Quistis just rolled their eyes and started talking about some lesson they were in before lunch. Finally Zell retrieved what he was looking for and smacked it onto the table. "Booya!" He cried.

Irvine and Seifer both high fived each other and Squall made a grab for the object. Rinoa looked at it carefully it looked like some DVD case but the back of the cover told her otherwise.

"I swear they said the battle system in this one is beyond fantastic!" Zell explained excitedly. "It's a lot faster and the graphics are awesome!"

"I just like looking at the lead lady" Irvine smiled and tried grabbing the case off Squall who easily dodged and kept reading the back cover.

"What is that?" Rinoa asked innocently.

The three boys looked at her incredulous while Squall continued reading. "Don't tell me you don't play video games?" Seifer asked with mock disgust but quickly smiled showing her he was joking.

"Oh no I do, just not that much" Rinoa quickly inputted.

"Three words Rinoa" Irvine seriously while pointing to the case Squall had in his hand. Squall was now looking directly at her and opened his mouth.

"Beginning…" Squall said

"Reality…" Seifer continued

"XIII" Zell finished.

"Beginning Reality XIII?" Rinoa laughed, "Oh so you guys RPGers?"

"Yep, to the bone!" Zell smiled.

"Tell me you have played the series, it's the best game out there nothing can beat the Reality series!" Irvine said seriously excited.

"Yeah I think I played VIII once long time ago, I borrowed it from my friend but I accidentally spilled my drink over it and couldn't get past the third disk so I never got to see the ending. Shame it was really romantic as well." Rinoa said reminiscing about her younger days.

The boys all looked at each other then at Squall and chuckled. Shaking his head Seifer spoke next.

"VIII was crap, the couple were stupid, no one falls in love like that, the main girl should of gone off with Refies" He said and finally took the case off Squall now trying to read the back cover.

"What?!" Zell pipped in. "Aonir and Llauqs are so cute, that Refies was just an ass that couldn't get anywhere".

"Whatever, VII was best in my opinion, it had a dark story line, a good battle system and sure the graphics can't be compared to VIII but nonetheless it was still wicked. I'd love to be part of that group AVALANCHE." Seifer gazed into the case adorningly.

"X-2 was the best, what is better than having a three lead females?" Irvine smirked and lifted his eyebrows.

"Your such a womaniser Irvine" Quistis said now getting into the conversation. "That game was to silly, Yuna was completely innocent looking in X and then they made her so slut-like in X-2 it was just some stupid way to make guys buy video games and degrade women."

"Gosh woman, how many times, its celebrating women, not degrading them" Irvine argued back.

"Oh yeah Irvine, the best way to 'celebrate' womanhood is to dress in the most revealing clothes and dance around while shooting bullets" Quistis retorted while shaking her head. "Yuna was better in X, I liked that one, plus that Tidus was funny and charming".

"Anyways, personally I think IX is the best." Zell said smiling and drumming his fingers on the table.

The group were silent until Seifer spoke up. "Chicken-wuss, you always do out retard yourself."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Zell got angry, "it's a cool game and Zidane is a better character than most pessimistic broody characters in the series.

"Yeah I liked IX too, I thought Vivi was sooo cute!" Selphie said all giddy.

"What about you Squall?" Rinoa asked noticing he had gone back to his mute mode. "Which is your favourite?"

Squall looked up at Rinoa, he didn't really want to reply, he felt vulnerable around Rinoa, like she had this force that made people like her and he was falling into it. Something about her just made people look and smile at her cute innocence. He would have liked to always share interests with her but after learning who her cousin was he wasn't sure if this was going to be possible. _Its just a question about a game, what is the big deal._ He thought to himself, he felt he was over thinking, but at the same time he knew his answer was just a small inclination to something that he thought meant a whole lot greater.

"My favourite in the series is VIII" He finally replied.

"Oh how comes?" Rinoa said surprised. She was shocked he even answered she didn't know if he would continue.

"I liked the story line, it wasn't too unbelievably 'dark', sure it had some elements that didn't make sense like the time compression bit, but it was a good idea, you know the whole SeeD and Garden thing, how they train these people as SeeDs and they remain a SeeD. But what the people fail to realise is that seeds grow into flowers and they haven't. And when Llauqs meets Aonir he is a SeeD and closed off from the world, but she opens him up and he metaphorically becomes more than a SeeD, he starts growing."

"What a load of -" Seifer didn't finish. Quistis punched him the arm.

"I thought that was sweet Squall" Quistis said while blushing. Squall met her gaze and then averted his eyes. He felt guilty, he wanted to take Quistis to the movies to get her with Seifer but exposing himself to Rinoa he felt as if he done something behind Quistis's back. The sooner her and Seifer got together the better, he didn't like this feeling and wanted rid of it soon.

The bell rang indicating the end of lunch and students started making their way to lessons. Seifer headed down the back corridor with Irvine, Selphie and Quistis for History while Zell and Squall made their way towards Advanced Maths. Rinoa walked behind Squall making her way towards the entrance doors, she was about to walk off when she realised she still had one question left.

Lightly tapping Squall on the shoulder she got his attention. Squall turned to face the raven haired girl. "Erm Squall, you know at the end of Beginning Reality VIII, do Llauqs and Aonir finally get together?"

Squall smiled at her turned walking away before turning his head while still striding down the long corridor. "Maybe" He shouted back.

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**Ok another chapter done, maybe i'll have a little surprise for my readers this week, its not an update in the story, just something to make it a little more realistic! ;)**

**Anyways please review this chapter, i'd like to know what you thought abou the VIII character's opinions towards other FF characters, do you think i got it right? No, why not?**


	3. The Promise

**I thought I would upload this a day early since I uploaded the last chapter late. I'll probably be busy with work tomorrow anyways to upload so heres chapter 3 for those of you who are interested. ****Again this isnt going into the story plot per se, but more a development and solidarity of what Rinoa and Quistis's relationship will be like in the upcoming chapters.  
**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy at all, nada, nil, zilch, nothing!**

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Chapter 3 - The Promise

Quistis parked up her car in the driveway and slowly gathered her belongings while heading towards the front door to her house. Upon entering through the oak doors into the passageway she could make out Rinoa's slender figure in the kitchen working away at dinner. Quistis's mother stood near the cooker stirring a saucepan and muttering something to Rinoa who was nodding her head while concentrating on cutting carrots.

"Hey I'm home" Quistis said tiredly walking into the kitchen and plopping herself down onto a stool. Rinoa smiled up at her cautiously and Quistis's mother turned to look at her daughter.

"Hello love, was your day at school good?" She asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah it was alright, I - "Quistis started to respond but was cut short.

"Darling could you pass me the tomato paste?" Anna said while fiddling with the cooker controls.

With a soft sigh and a meek "Sure" Quistis stood up and walked to the pantry. From there she could hear her mother start another conversation with Rinoa.

"If there is any tutoring I can offer, you know I'm always here for you dear, Balamb High's education is the best here but I don't mind putting in some extra time to help you with your Advanced Maths" Anna offered trying to make her niece feel more at home. Rinoa had always been a good student, her father being the General couldn't afford to have a stupid teenager that only cared about looks and how far it could get her in life.

"Aww that's sweet auntie but I looked over the syllabus and I think I covered most of that already with my old tutor back in Deling." Rinoa replied. She liked her aunt, her aunt was an accountant that worked in Deling a few years ago while she was living there. After her husband, Jacques Trepe, got a job as an Art instructor for Balamb University they moved to Balamb by the time Quistis was 10 years old.

"Mum I was thinking I might need some help with my science project this weekend" Quistis asked coming into the kitchen with the tomato paste. She handed her mother what she requested and waited for the answer.

"Sure honey, when is it due? I might have to be in the office this weekend though so could I help you Monday night?" Anna suggested. Her job kept her busy most of the time than she would of liked. The honest truth was in order for Quistis to have a comfortable life at University Anna had to work hard and bring in the money, unfortunately Jacques' job was not that high paying.

"Yeah no problem" Quistis said slightly defeated.

"Hey if you want maybe I can help you?" Rinoa offered. She could tell Quistis was a bit upset with her, knowing Quistis all these years Rinoa didn't need to have a conversation with her cousin in order to find out where the problems lay.

"No I'll just wait for mum when she is free" Quistis responded rather uninterested.

"Darling don't be silly, if Rinoa could offer her help take it, I'm rather busy with work at the moment and don't want to break any promises I can't keep". Anna interjected.

"But you just offered to help Rinoa" Quistis said and immediately regretted.

Rinoa just stood staring at the chopping board. Anna looked at Quistis harshly before she spoke up. "Rinoa is new here, she may not be used to the teaching methods at her new school. I thought you were mature than that Quistis, you know I work hard for your comfort"

Quistis apologised and stood up and made her way upstairs. She felt stupid now, she actually didn't need her mother's help, she just asked for it because she didn't like the way she was feeling with Rinoa being here. She loved her cousin but sometimes she felt she was always Rinoa's shadow, her mother was always busy and now she was making time for Rinoa. She knew it was just to settle Rinoa in but she couldn't help but feel jealous.

Another thing that upset her was the attention Rinoa was getting at school. What made it worse was the little attention she got from Squall. Since Quistis became a woman Squall never gave her that attention, his answers to her were always short and bored, he didn't stare at her longingly and he never even shared any jokes with her. Yet here was Rinoa on her first day she was touring with Squall, then Squall teasingly implies that she is his girlfriend. Quistis knew it was a joke but she didn't like that idea, nor did she like that Squall made a joke about Rinoa on the same day she asked him out, and he accepted!

Rinoa walked into the room at that point and stood rather awkwardly brushing her toe along the soft carpet of Quistis's room. She hated that habit Rinoa had, where she would wait for people to notice her before she spoke up. _Well, _Quistis thought,_ I'm not giving her that attention._ She started to unpack her bag and get her textbook out. She flipped to a couple of the front pages and started on her Chemistry homework.

The silence was driving her mad and the presence of Rinoa in her room was even worse.

Sighing she finally spoke. "Can I help you Rinoa?"

"Are… are you upset with me Quisty?" Rinoa asked shyly.

"No" She replied bluntly.

"I don't believe you." Rinoa replied softly.

"Believe what you want to believe then, no skin off my nose" Quistis retorted hastily.

"Oh come on Quistis, you say you're not upset with me and then you respond so harshly"

"Well stop being so annoying and I won't have to" Quistis said exasperated.

The two girls fell silent again. She knew she was being silly she didn't want to fight with her cousin on the first day she was here. She tried to think of how to make the situation lighter. Before she could think of anything Rinoa beat her to it.

"Quisty, is it because of today at lunch?" Quistis's eyes spoke the truth, she couldn't look at Rinoa. "You know I only played along because I didn't want to look stupid in front of your friends, I wasn't really taking it seriously." Rinoa offered trying to make up with her cousin.

"Rin… I asked him out today" Quistis finally open up.

"Really?!" Rinoa sounded surprised. "Well what did he say?"

"He actually said yes" Quistis replied still astonished herself.

" Wow. Well that's good news right?" Rinoa said trying to sound excited.

"Yeah but then he totally ignored me at lunch and… and he made that joke about you, it really bugged me" Quistis said finally let out her feelings.

"Quisty he was put on the spot by that teacher, he was just playing along" Rinoa tried to comfort the blonde.

"Even so, you don't flirt with the cousin of the girl you are suppose to be going out with" Quistis stood up and made her way to the window.

Rinoa didn't know what to say, she made her way towards the bed and sat silently. She didn't know why Quistis felt so threatened, Rinoa was there for only one day and Squall only made that joke because he didn't want to be played right? She had to admit, when he said he was serious there was a small part of her that felt a bit flattered, after how Quistis described Squall she thought he was a closed book, but that joke showed her the total opposite.

"Rin, can I ask you something?" Quistis looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Yeah sure" Rinoa said hopefully.

"I know Squall accepted my invite, but I don't actually know where this relationship will go, or even if it will turn into a relationship." Quistis paused for a bit. "Rin, if it doesn't work out between me and Squall, I know I will be more heartbroken than before when he didn't even attempt to reciprocate my feelings."

"Quisty don't be so negative" Rinoa got up walking towards her cousin.

"No let me finish" Quistis interrupted. "Rin, promise me something. You are really pretty and smart and you can most probably get any guy in Balamb High, just please, don't ever go out with Squall. I really like him and I don't think I can see him with anyone, especially you. And even if that was a joke today, I didn't like that idea of you and him together. So please promise me." Quistis looked longingly into her cousin's eyes.

The brown eyes looked back into the cold blue ones, both searching for hidden feelings and some form of protest if not defeat. Rinoa didn't want to promise her, for some reason she knew it was a promise she would later regret.

But she loved her cousin enough to do this for her. "Ok Quisty…" She responded softly after a minute. "I promise, I won't ever go out with him".

Quistis didn't respond, she didn't smile or nod her head. Instead the blonde haired girl turned to face the window watching as the remaining sunlight fell asleep beyond the horizon and darkness fell onto the town. Much like the darkness that filled Quistis's eyes.

* * *

Squall slid his tongue over his teeth and checked in the mirror for any hidden plaque. Happy with the cleanliness he popped his toothbrush back into the mirror's cupboard and made his way into his bedroom and jumped into the covers.

His thoughts went back to the day's events. He remembered Rinoa and the incident with Dr. Kowadaki, of course he was joking when he mentioned she was his girlfriend but when she said she would take it seriously he had some hope in him that she actually would.

He then thought about Quistis, she had seemed hurt and betrayed when he said he was, the only way he could make the situation light was to say he was joking. He didn't like the position he was in, he didn't want to go out with Quistis, why wouldn't she just understand that? Yes Quistis was pretty, she was beautiful with her blonde hair and blues eyes, she was smart, she didn't start every sentence with 'Like oh my gwad', she didn't constantly take out her compact mirror and touch up her face every 2 seconds. But Squall just didn't feel that way; the thought of kissing Quistis was similar to him kissing Ellone. _Yuck_ Squall thought trying to shake that image out of his head.

But he didn't even know what Rinoa was like, maybe she was the one who started every sentence with 'Like…' and was so overly obsessive about her looks. But she didn't seem like she would be.

"Rinoa" Squall pronounced her name letting it roll around his tongue. "Rinoa" he said again, he liked the name and he liked the way it felt when he said it. "Rinoa"

"Squall you're not having a dirty dream are you?" Laguna interrupted at the doorway.

"DAMN IT Dad!" Squall jerked up in bed. "Why are you sneaking up on me?!" He said angrily.

"I wasn't! I came to say goodnight when I heard you chanting someone's name" Laguna said with a wide grin. "So who is she?"

"None of your business, shut the door and get out" Squall replied back heatedly.

"Oh don't be like that, it was about time my boy fell in love!"

"I'm not in love, just get out and shut the door while you're at it" Squall punched his pillow and laid back down.

"Is she pretty?" Laguna asked shyly.

Squall just groaned.

"Is who pretty?" Ellone asked walking out the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Squall got himself a girlfriend" Laguna said cheerfully.

"Squall is that true?" Ellone asked incredulous.

"NO, just go away and let me be!" Squall shot out of bed and slammed the door shut. He took a step towards his bed but turned around and flipped the lock on his door. He could hear giggling behind his door but chose to ignore it.

He got back into bed and pulled his covers over him. Switching off his lamp on his bedside table he rolled over to face the wall. The image of Rinoa came to his head. And with that he fell asleep.

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**Ok so maybe some people might find my Squall slightly too romantically involved straight up with Rinoa than from the game. But the way I see the game, Squall happened to notice Rinoa out of everyone in that ballroom, and when she walks away he looks after her, so that kinda shows that given a different setting minus the whole teenage rebellion against the political father and the spoiltness Squall saw in Rinoa in Timber, he most probably would have seen her like this. Well in my world he did :p**

**Anyways please review.**


	4. The Stupid Plan

**OK another chapter and we're back into the story plot! By the way people, i dont hate Quistis or anything if anyone thought that. She is actually a good character and i dont at all think she hated Rinoa. I know there are like some hardcore Squinoa fans and make out Quistis to be this boyfriend stealing poo, but i think they're wrong there since she was the one to get Squall to go after Rinoa. But hey, then there are those hardcore Quall fans that say the same about Rinoa and well... yeah she did pretty much steal Squall's heart... wooo to Rinoa =p**

**On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I dont even know why i write these, i just see everyone else do it and worry i might be sued. But hey i dont own Final Fantasy... but i do own Beginning Reality.**

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Chapter 4 - The Stupid Plan

The ride to school was quite quick considering Quistis drove and showed Rinoa the shortcuts without having to go via the main town. Once the girls parked the red BMW in the car park they got out and grabbed their school bags.

Walking up towards the large building Quistis made a sharp left without even letting Rinoa know. The raven haired girl just stood silent for a second not knowing what to do. The ride in the car was mostly about how to get to school the fastest and neither mentioned anything about the promise made the night before. Rinoa didn't want to tag along with her cousin everywhere. As far as Rinoa cared, she was doing everything to make her cousin happy, she wouldn't beg to be her cousin's friend; she'd make her own. She kept on walking straight and made her way into the large building.

Quistis knew Rinoa wasn't following her anymore, a part of her was happy that she could be alone with her friends, and a part of her was upset at how she was treating her cousin. Truth was she didn't mind her cousin's company, she was just threatened when her friends would make comments about how nice Rinoa was and how funny she was, almost as if they preferred her to Quistis. She felt a bit threatened for her position as she had only just started hanging out with the gang again, albeit it was easier now that Selphie was seeing Irvine.

"Hey guys what's up?" Quistis said cheerfully smiling at every one her friends.

"Nothing much, where'd Rinoa go?" Zell immediately asked.

"Oh I guess she had to do something" Quistis lied.

"So Quistis, heard you going to the movies with Leonhart" Seifer said smirking. Quistis's eyes immediately fell on Squall who started shifting against his black Audi.

"Yeah, why is that a problem?" Quistis asked, she knew how to play this, she didn't want to make it an awkward situation that Squall would just turn around and tell her to forget it because it made him uncomfortable.

"No, just wondering where our invitation were?" Seifer said laughing softly.

"Well I only have four tickets" Quistis said and regretted mentioning the number. At first she didn't mind Seifer coming along with them to keep Rinoa company, it would have made the setting more comfortable if Squall felt awkward being alone with her for the first time. But after yesterday's lunch time scene she wished she never gave Squall the other two tickets.

"Well, who are the other two for?" Seifer asked curiously.

"Well, no one in particular." She replied honestly.

"So can I have one then?" Seifer asked amused raising his eyesbrows as if challenging the blonde. He could see Quistis was deflating, he knew she wanted it to be just her and Squall but Squall had already filled him in on the plan.

"He can come, its not a big deal right?" Squall asked finally speaking.

"Well, no its not. Of course he can come" Quistis said hiding her sadness.

"Cool, so who else wants to come? Chicken-wuss you wanna see Zanarkand?" Seifer asked Zell who was busily tapping away on his Blackberry.

"When?" Zell's replied his attention elsewhere.

The brunette and the blond looked towards Quistis. "Saturday, 6:30pm" She replied.

"Nah, my ma's got me cleaning the attic all day and then my grandparents are coming round so I gotta stay home and entertain." Zell replied.

"What about you Irvine?" Seifer asked the cowboy hoping he could get someone to come along and keep Squall company while he tried to woo Quistis.

"Sorry dude, me and Selphie got plans, she's coming over to meet my parents" Irvine said looking happily at Selphie who giggled in reply.

Quistis was happy, maybe if no one else was available Seifer would back out and it could be just her and Squall, she'd have to tell Rinoa to stay home and make up to her for the loss of two tickets.

Squall looked at both his friends, cleared his throat and with the calmest voice he could managed "What about Rinoa?" he suggested as if he was bored.

"Oh no, I think my mum's helping her with her Advanced Maths this weekend" Quistis hurriedly answered.

The two boys settled with the answer, shrugged and grabbed their backpacks muttering 'laters' to the gang before walking off. She stood there watching their backs, she knew she won over Rinoa although there was no competition, but she couldn't help shake that feeling of defeat.

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Rinoa had walked into a wide open plan classroom with broad windows filling the room with fresh natural sunlight. The room was filled with roughly thirty individual desks placed in rows facing a writing board with a medium sized pinewood desk which was obviously the teacher's.

She made her way towards a free desk behind a dark haired boy and sat down taking out her writing pad and a pen. Her first lesson was Advanced Maths and she was hoping that they hadn't started on much yesterday since she was absent.

The teacher walked in and started taking his equipment out. He had long, straight silver hair that reached past his abdomen which currently he had shoved behind his shoulders. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and wore a light blue shirt that brought out the steel grey of his eye colour as well as emphasising his hair colour. Rinoa was too engrossed watching the long silver haired man to noticed someone next to her.

"Excuse me?" The girl spoke softly.

"Oh sorry!" Rinoa looked up to see a girl in braided pigtails. She was pretty with brown hair and light brown eyes and the cutest button nose that complimented her face.

"No its ok, its just that this is my seat and erm, normally I wouldn't ask you to get up but… erm well I…." the girl was obviously embarrassed and Rinoa didn't want to cause her any more.

"No no, its fine, I'll move!" Rinoa got up and looked around, she spotted two free seats in the back row to one corner, it was just behind the seat she was sitting on. Before she could get to it the girl spoke to her again. "I'm Sarah by the way" The girl put her hand out to Rinoa who tried to shake it but ended up spilling the contents of her pencil case just as the bell for class rang.

"I'm… crap" Rinoa bent down to pick up her stuff with the girl also helping her. "Sorry, I'm not crap, my name is Rinoa" She laughed.

"Right, class is about to start, can you ladies please hurry and settle down, I am ready to start" The teacher motioned with his hands for both girls to sit.

Rinoa suddenly noticed Zell already seated next to Sarah's seat smiling up at her. "Hey Sarah" he said shyly. The pigtail girl sat down giggling.

Rinoa turned around ready to sit down on one of the two vacant seats but was surprised to see only one seat left remaining, the other occupied by none other than Squall. He didn't look at her; he was too busy scribbling something on his notepad and tearing out sheets.

A student came round and collected the torn papers from him and Rinoa realised he was collecting the homework. Rinoa just ignored Squall and started to write the date and title on her book. The teacher set the class some exercises from what they learnt the day before based on some pages off their textbook.

Rinoa raised her hand and the teacher just nodded to her and motioned for her to wait.

She sat there silently. She stole a glance at Squall who was quickly scribbling down answers from his textbook, and making slight lip movements from reading the questions.

"Right Miss Heartilly, I actually don't have an exercise book for you at the moment, I will have to get one on my way down to the storage room, could you share with Squall for the time being?" He asked while looking over at Squall making sure the young boy heard.

"Sure" Rinoa mubbled. The two youths brought their tables closer with the screeching of the legs scrapping against the polished wooden floors.

The lesson went by quietly with Rinoa and Squall silently sharing the exercise book. It was actually easy for Rinoa, she had been right, her tutor already went through most of the content in the syllabus last year, so she found the factorials easy. At one point she noticed Squall deep in concentration with his pencil poised very still. He got his eraser out and shook his head while vigorously rubbing out an answer.

"Erm, you gotta use permutation on that one it's kinda like a trick question, it explains it on the next chapter" Rinoa offered.

Squall just glanced at her and attempted the question again with Rinoa's suggestion. This time he seemed satisfied with the answer. "How did you know that?" He asked so softly Rinoa barely heard it.

"Oh, I did this last year with my tutor" She replied with a short explanation.

"Cool" He approved.

They were silent again. Finally the teacher stood up and started explaining the next chapter and the necessary steps of multiplying Surds. Rinoa already knew what to do and took the opportunity to daydream about taking a walk on the beach she had saw on her drive to the school. Back in Deling she had never had the chance to visit beaches, not that Deling had many. If she were lucky her dad would drive her down to Timber and she'd spend the mornings sitting on the soft sandy beach near the edge of Galbadia reading her books and then spend the nights eating at the local hotel where her cousin Zone worked. Her memories of Deling were happy ones but lacked the same excitement she had when her mum was alive. In the recent years as Rinoa grew she became more busy with the mundane routine of her busy schedule she had less time for her personal hobbies. She knew a walk down the Balamb beach would refresh her mind and probably reignite other pastimes she now desperately wanted to act on.

Again she noticed the teacher write down exercises for the class to complete and waited for Squall to turn to the pages before quickly whizzing through them. Normally she would have been bored in such a quiet classroom with her whizzing through her work, but the extra time she was allowed to day dream was a bonus to her. The teacher walked towards her and noticed her in her day dream.

"Err, Rinoa have you finished the exercises?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah, I've already gone through most of the stuff in the textbook before" She explained.

"Ok, hmm you don't even have your own textbook, hold on I'll go down and get you one now, I cant have you wasting time in class". He replied and walked to the front of the class.

Running his hands through his long silver hair he told the class he'd be back in five minutes, and set another exercise for those who finished before he got back.

As soon as he closed the classroom door a series of breaths were released and a couple of students started murmuring. The behaviour of the class changed immediately to a relaxed and disruptive class, thus allowing her to know the teacher was someone who would not tolerate the scene that was in front of her. One boy shouted across the classroom to another colleague to give him the answer to one of the questions. Two girls diagonal to Rinoa's were busy staring at a phone and muttering away excitedly. One student even left his seat and was seated next to another girl at the front laughing away while she told him some funny story.

Rinoa was too busy noticing everything in her surroundings she didn't notice Squall speak up. "Sorry?" She asked the brunette.

"I said, for someone who needs extra tuition from your aunt you are doing pretty well for this class" Squall repeated not looking at her.

"I'm not getting extra tuition" Rinoa replied confused.

"Oh Quistis said you couldn't come to the movies because you had to study" Squall replied now looking at the confused girl with and equally confused look.

Rinoa knew the truth, it was an excuse Quistis made, one that wasn't necessary.

"Yeah erm I was at first but after I looked at the syllabus I realised I didn't" Rinoa answered back. She couldn't believe Quistis lied like that, did she really feel that threatened? Exactly what was Rinoa going to do? Steal Squall right under her nose? And Quistis didn't have a right to do that, those tickets were for her from her father; it was a way for Rinoa to make friends. All these thoughts ran through the young girls head making her feel the promise she made last night was not enough; that Quistis didn't trust her.

"So that means you can come right? Seifer kinda needs someone to keep him company" Squall asked, he couldn't let Rinoa know what the plan was, she probably would've gone and told her cousin. Seifer wouldn't forgive him for that if Quistis found out and cancelled on them.

Rinoa on the other hand felt slightly upset that Squall only wanted her to come to keep Seifer company, a part of her wanted Squall to ask her to keep him company. _What am I thinking? Here I am getting annoyed at Quistis and yet I want this guy to like me!_

"Yeah, I'd love to keep Seifer company" Rinoa said happily.

Squall nodded his head but looked away, _Did I do the right thing?_ He regretting asking her now, he wanted her to say she'd rather keep him company. The teacher walked back in and the class immediately became silent.

Placing the textbook on Rinoa's table he directed her to a different page and ordered the two to pull their tables apart. They both complied but the action meant more then just pulling their tables apart, more like being pulled apart from each other.

* * *

After her Advanced Maths class Rinoa went off to her History lesson while Squall met Irvine at their lockers and walked off to the Geography building. By 12:30pm the bell rang to indicate the time for Lunch break.

Rinoa had met Sarah again in her History lesson who introduced her to Nida, they offered for her to join them at lunch which she happily accepted knowing that Qusitis would probably ignore her. _Well if she wants to lie and ignore me that's her choice._ Rinoa thought to herself with anger. She hated this, she thought moving here would be fantastic; she got to live with her cousin and attend a school where she would be like everyone else and not be labelled 'The General's Daughter' and have people acting fake because her mother was Julia Heartilly. Now Quistis was a sour lemon and Rinoa felt really unwanted and a bit too normal for her liking. She accepted Sarah's invite and thought it would probably be better if she made her own friends.

Back at Squall's table Quistis sat down with her lunch tray, she picked up her fork and started mixing her garden salad around before biting into a cold cherry tomato.

"Hey blondie, Squall talked to Rinoa, turns out she is free after all" Seifer said smiling at Quistis.

"You asked Rinoa?" Quistis asked Squall trying not to sound as shocked as she was feeling. She felt a little betrayed.

"Yeah" Squall said not looking up but playing around with his fries before dipping them in hot sauce and taking a bite.

"So guess it'll be the four of us hey?" Seifer said still grinning.

"I guess so" Quistis said not entertaining Seifer's grin. She knew it was better that Rinoa was now coming to keep Seifer company but what if Squall wanted her to keep him company? This plan would fail. _Stupid Rinoa._ Quistis thought. _She made me a promise and now she's breaking it, how could she? She knows I like him, why is she making this so complicated? She could've just said she was busy and let Squall go with me alone"_

Quistis quickly finished her lunch and excused herself mentioning something about going to see a teacher about homework.

Rinoa was just finishing her lunch when she noticed someone staring at her. She looked across the lunch hall and noticed Squall and his gang, Squall quickly averted his gaze when he saw her notice him. _That was quite rude._ Rinoa thought to herself, she noticed Seifer, who noticed her back and waved. She cutely waved back and smiled a bit. _Now he is nice._ She thought to herself,_ Maybe this double date thing wouldn't be so bad, Seifer seemed like a really nice guy._

She looked up at the big clock attached on to the cafeteria wall and noticed she had only 15 minutes before her next lesson. Excusing herself from Sarah, Nida and the other students that she met she made her way to her locker to get her books out for Literature. It was the first lesson she had with Quistis and she thought maybe she could sort things out with her. Rinoa wanted desperately to let Quistis know she meant her promise and that there wasn't a need for Quistis to feel threatened by her. But if she did she wouldn't mind and would make her own friends.

Quistis already beat her to it. Rinoa was walking past the girls' toilets when a hand grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her in.

"Whoa, Quistis what the hell?!" Rinoa gasped rubbing her shoulder. The blonde's sharp nails actually gripped hard and poked the younger girl's skin.

"Rinoa what are you playing at? You promised you'd stay away from Squall!" Quistis cried.

"I am staying away. Why did you lie and say I was studying with aunt Anna?" Rinoa questioned.

"Because he invited Seifer and I wanted to be alone with Squall!" Quistis cried louder.

"You can be, I'll be with Seifer so you get what you want, so why are you shutting me out?" Rinoa wanted this to be a shout but was exposed by her choking the last part out. The raven haired girl's eyes started brimming with tears. "I thought moving here would be cool, you and me would have so much fun, but you keep pushing me away, I might as well just got back to Deling."

Quistis immediately felt guilty. She didn't want Rinoa to leave, she was being selfish, there wasn't any need for her to feel threatened, Rinoa made a promise and she knew she would keep it.

"Rin, I don't want you to go back, I'm sorry I shouldn't be ignoring you. I just really want this to work out between me and him." Quistis said while taking her into a hug.

"Don't worry, it will, Quistis you are a smart and pretty girl, he would be totally gay if he didn't fall for you. So stop stressing." Rinoa said while sniffing and wiping away the stray tears.

Quistis just laughed and hugged her tight. For the now the two had made amendments just as the bell rang, the two made their way to their Literature class.

Once inside the classroom Rinoa introduced herself to Mr Valentine who sat her diagonally across from Squall. She looked over at Quistis who at first looked jealous but then just smiled.

Rinoa knew Quistis finally trusted her, now she would do whatever she could to get those two together. She glanced at Seifer who met her eyes, smiled and winked. Rinoa's smile just widened and she stuck her tongue out before turning towards the board. Both Quistis and Squall witnessed the scene between the two teenagers.

_Maybe I chose the wrong person after all. _The blond thought.

_Maybe I'll get to be alone with him after all. _The blonde thought.

_Maybe my plan was stupid after all. _The brunette thought.

All three students just starred at Rinoa before moving their attention to the teacher.

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**Yeah you know what im going to say: Review!**


	5. The Big Date

**I decided that I will update every weekend instead, things are quite hectic at work and family life so I get caught up with stuff during the week.  
Anyways enjoy, sorry for the short chapter, but the rest are longer, especially chapter 7.**

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Chapter 5 - The Big Date

The week went by pretty quick and Rinoa was progressively settling in to her new school and her new life in Balamb. Her relationship with Quistis was getting better as well as they both cleared the air and she was spending more lunch times with Seifer, much to the pleasure of Quistis.

At the moment Rinoa was fishing through clothes from her wardrobe for their evening out with Seifer and Squall. She didn't want to look too done up and thought the casual look was more appropriate. As she grabbed a pair of dark blue skinny legged jeans, a royal blue tunic top and a black cardigan from her choice of attire Quistis came rushing into her room with two dresses in her hand.

"Which one?!" Was all the blonde came out with.

"Erm, well…" Rinoa said inspecting the dresses carefully. After much deliberation she finally spoke. "Are you sure you want to wear a dress? It's just a movie right?"

"Well I thought maybe we could get dinner after and I don't want to be dressed down" Quistis replied looking a bit hurt.

Rinoa didn't want to her cousin, but she felt she was rushing a bit too much. Squall had only just agreed to go out with her, if Quistis wasn't careful she'd scare him off by pressuring him too much.

"Yeah but we don't know if the boys will be busy after" Rinoa tried to say as politely as possible.

Quistis just looked straight at her and replied coolly "I meant me and Squall. I don't care if Seifer is busy, you both do whatever you please, but I want to make sure my first date with Squall is perfect. Besides this is the first time he will see me dressed up, I want to leave him with a feeling of longing." Quistis eyed the dresses again before looking back at Rinoa.

_Back to that stage huh?_ Rinoa thought, she didn't want to fall out with her cousin again, but at the same time she didn't want Quistis to make herself look like a fool. Rinoa hadn't ever been on dates before; she had little crushes on guys but never to the extent where she'd actually have a boyfriend. It was hard being the General's daughter but she had read enough books to know how to be around a guy and the "what not to do's".

Deciding that Quisitis would have to learn from her own mistakes she finally spoke. "Wear the black dress, it will bring out the blue in your eyes and heighten your fair complexion". Rinoa said with a small smile. Quistis only stared back at her and then finally nodded before walking back to her own room.  
Rinoa stood at the door way for a while before moving to her dresser, _Going to have to doll myself up so she doesn__'__t look out of place!_

Rinoa's dresser was neatly displayed with tiny boxes and baskets and one huge jewellery box. Some perfumes and make up were also placed which she decided to ignore. Taking her chain off her neck, she picked up a platinum band ring she was given by her mother which she looped into her necklace and put back on around her neck. She took out some white gold hoops and put them on her ears. Deciding that she looked a bit more dolled up than before she grabbed some lip-gloss and applied it briefly before putting it into her bag. She was dressed casually but looked as if she was going somewhere nice. She didn't really like to dress up; she always thought it was nicer to dress for someone special like a husband. Getting all dolled up just for random strangers to see was not her cup of tea and she avoided it most of the time, hence her causal choice of clothes.

* * *

After the girls had gotten dressed and informed Quistis's mum of their plans they headed into Quistis's convertible and drove towards the town. They decided to meet the guys there since Seifer had to meet after work anyways. Quistis seemed a bit upset when Squall hadn't offered to at least pick her up, another reason why Rinoa felt this 'date' wasn't all that to get dressed up for.  
She stole a glance at Quistis to see if the girl had any other hint of a night of dining out. Quistis's black dress was covered over the top with a net bolero and a small diamond clustered rose broche. Her hair was out with the front clipped back and a few stray hairs fell across the side of her face. Her neck was exposing anther diamond cluster necklace in the shape of a heart and matching ear-rings.

Finally they parked their car in the Mall's car park and were in the processes of unbuckling their seatbelts. Rinoa was looking for her bag under her legs where she had place it when she heard Quistis gasp.

"Oh damn!" Quistis said with a worried look.

"What is wrong Quisty?" Rinoa asked equalled worried.

"He bought people with him it's supposed to be a date!" Quistis said trying not to sound too loud but failing. "Rinoa he's turned it into a group thing! Look at how I'm dressed I look completely out of place" Quistis cried, she tried not to let the tears swell up and stared to avert her gaze.

_Told you._ Thought Rinoa and then immediately regretted it. She didn't know why but she started growing an annoyance whenever Quistis was in a situation with Squall, for some odd reason whenever Rinoa would advise her about Squall, Quistis always defied. The night before Rinoa had advised Quistis against calling Squall and 're-confirming' their date. She knew Quistis wanted a reason just to talk to Squall and knew it was pushing it. Quistis didn't listen to her and walked into her room with the cordless. Rinoa couldn't be bothered and just sat on the couch watching her show. It wasn't even two minutes before Quistis walked back into the room and put the phone down muttering something about Squall calling her back because he was busy with his sister or something. But Rinoa could tell from Quistis's face that maybe Squall wasn't all that busy and probably used it as an excuse.

"Quisty, you look fine, maybe you could take off some of that jewellery, like the broche and the ear-rings? That way you'll tone it down a bit". Rinoa tried to offer some condolence.

Hurriedly the other girl finally complied and chucked the jewellery into her hand bag, she looked down at her feet and Rinoa's gaze followed. Quistis's feet were adorned with 4 inch black lace heels. She still looked overly dressed. Shaking her head, Rinoa unbuckled the belt of her jeans and pasted it to Quistis who replied with a confused look. Then bending down she took off her black ballerina pumps and passed them over as well.

"Give me the heels, you wear the belt just below your breast line, that way it will look more like a top and skirt, and the pumps should surely tone down your attire" Rinoa said while Quistis followed her instructions.

After the quick exchange of accessories the two left the car and headed towards the group.

"Hey guys!" Rinoa said cheerfully. The group turned to meet them and said their equal greetings muttering compliments.

"Zell I thought you had your grandfather over?" Quistis couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah my ma told him that I wanted to see some film and he insisted that I spend my time with friends, he said he always wished he had spent more time with his friends and less time preparing for the army." Zell said with a wide grin, "so I thought I would take his advice and thought Sarah might want to join us".

Sarah only smiled; her braids were out leaving her brown hair flowing on her shoulders, she was wearing a pair of black skinny legged jeans and a woolen purple top that came past her thighs. The arms were cut up to the a third of her arm revealing silver jewellery that complemented the silver belt strapped to her waist.

"I like what your wearing Quistis, really cute!" Sarah said admiringly.

Quistis blushed and muttered thank you before looking at Squall for any compliment. The brunette however was too focused on Rinoa's choice of shoes.

"Rinoa I thought you looked taller" Seifer teased. "What's with the heels? You're not feeling too short for this crowd are you?"

Blushing Rinoa tried to tease back "Well not everyone is as tall as you King Kong, anyways I feel like a dwarf around you lot".

"You look good, but I've never seen anyone wear those kind of heels with jeans before" Zell replied. "Maybe because I'm a guy".

"No, you don't normally wear pencil heels with jeans" Sarah added in, "But hey Rinoa, maybe you could be setting a trend".

"That or it's her way of compensation" Seifer joked again.

"Ok people enough about my shoes" Rinoa said rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry I guess I'll have to show my cousin some tips on fashion". Quistis replied laughing and putting her arm over Rinoa.

_Ouch_.Thought Rinoa. She tried not to let the teasing get to her, when Seifer joked she took it lightly, but this was just uncalled for. She had helped Quistis from an embarrassing situation, and now Quistis was egging them on. She wanted to at the moment tell everyone she was only wearing them because Quistis thought it'd be a romantic date between Squall and her and had dressed like a dog's dinner. But that would only make her look bad, and she didn't want to make enemies with her cousin. Ignoring it, she just rolled her eyes laughing and looked down at the floor, hoping she wouldn't burst into tears.

Squall who was silently watching this whole time could tell from Rinoa's expression she did not like the comments. Being the introvert had its advantages, Squall was always told by teachers that it didn't hurt to open up, but he liked being the silent one. It allowed him to feel as if he were an audience amongst actors and he could observe their actions and behaviour and be able to identify their feelings. At current he knew from Rinoa's facial expressions she didn't like what was being said and he wasn't going to entertain it.

Striking up the courage and taking a deep breath he opened his mouth to speak.

"They look hot" He finally let out. _What the hell?!_ He immediately thought. He wanted to rid Rinoa of the embarrassment but didn't mean to be so honest. Yes her feet in those black heels looked hot but he didn't want everyone to know he thought that. Mentally kicking himself he looked at Rinoa.

"Er, thanks I guess" Rinoa said a bit puzzled.  
Quistis on the other hand wasn't so impressed, she averted her eyes staring at the floor, no matter what she did somehow Rinoa still got all the attention.

"Anyways I think our movie is starting lets go" Seifer said taking Rinoa by the hand and walking towards the Mall. The rest of the group closely followed.

Rinoa didn't know what to think, she didn't know why Squall said that, and if he meant it or just said it to stop the teasing. She promised herself that she would thank him from saving her from that embarrassing scene, but hoped that it was something he actually meant.

Once at the concession stand the groups purchased their food while Zell ran off to get some tickets for him and Sarah and shortly the group made their way to the hall.

In the movie theatre they all sat in their seats briefly talking before the movie started. Quistis wasn't in the mood to talk, she was still replaying the scene in the parking lot, Squall had called Rinoa hot. She had wished she wore those heels now, she had wished she had stuck to wearing the dress the way she had intended to, she had wished she made Rinoa promise not to come tonight.

The brunette next to her barely spoke, he was looking at the screen in front and absent mindly stroked the rim of his drink cup.

"So what you been up to today?" Quistis started the conversation.

Squall barely heard her before he realised she was addressing him.

"Oh, nothing much, just at home" He replied without much input.

"How is Ellone? Haven't seen her in ages" She continued trying to get more out, it was so hard to talk to Squall, he barely spoke at all without someone having to initialise it.

"She is fine, just busy" He said still not looking at her too busy wiping the condensation off his drink.

Finally he looked up, but looked past Quistis. She knew who he was looking at, Rinoa sat right next to Quistis happily chatting away to Seifer about some guy in Galbadia that they both knew of. Once in a while the two would burst out laughing after mimicking the guy and keep repeating "Ya know".

Quistis wished that it was her and Squall instead, talking about something in common and laughing till they had tears. She was feeling down now, she hated that everyone else was here. _Maybe he is just shy around others and can__'__t talk to me openly._

The movie finally started and the lights were dimmed down. Soon the six friends were whispering to each other, laughing, eating popcorn and the three girls cried at the end, with the boys shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

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"I can't believe he dies!" Rinoa said pretending to cry.

"Well he didn't die, he was dead already, he was just a dream" Zell replied, taking out his keys and twirling them around his finger.

The group were walking back to the car park after the film and were talking about the ending.

"I know but it's so sad, they should have made it more romantic like he lives" Rinoa said dreamily.

"Yeah but the they would get no sales, this ending makes better reviews then 'they lived happily ever after'" Seifer said giving his input.

"Yeah I guess so, whatever makes profit eh?" Rinoa said with a cheeky grin.

"The guy that plays the lead is cute" Sarah said giggling to herself.

"You got a thing for blonds?" Zell asked flirtatiously.

"Maybe" Sarah replied equally.

"You guys want to eat? I'm hungry" Squall said lightly placing a hand on his stomach.

"Sure" Quistis said happily and glanced at Rinoa, almost as if saying _Told you_. He did want to eat and Quistis was happy to spend more time with him.

"Yeah I am pretty hungry too, but I think I'll just head home, I think my aunt left some dinner for us" Rinoa said, she saw the glance from Quistis and didn't want to cause any problems between them. She thought maybe it was best if she excused herself and Seifer and let the two go by themselves. The only problem left was Zell and Sarah.

"Well I'm going to head back, Sarah's got to be at school tomorrow and I'm driving so exclude me out" Zell said.

"But it is Sunday tomorrow" Squall said confused.

"Yeah but I got to do some inventory thing at the library so they want me in tomorrow, hey I get double pay" Sarah said laughing at the last part.

"Well I'm going home, Seifer if you want you could join me" Rinoa said hoping Seifer would comply.

"Yeah sure, I guess it'll be just you two" Seifer said smirking.

"Ok well we'll see you when we get home then" Quistis said and turned to Squall. She smiled at him and was about to open her mouth to tell him to get going.

"Well if you're going home then I might as well head home too" Squall said looking at his watch. It had just gone past 8:30pm and he knew Ellone would be still up maybe even eating a late dinner herself.

"No, why don't you guys go out for a bite? Me and Seifer will head back, don't want to ruin your evening" Rinoa tried to settle it.

"Yeah Leonhart, go enjoy yourself" Seifer said smirking again.

Squall just looked at him. _What is he playing at?_ This was supposed to be a way to get him and Quistis alone, why was he going off with Rinoa? _Unless he likes Rinoa?_ Now Squall was in trouble.

"Squall" Quistis said gently. "Lets just go, leave them be".

"See ya" Seifer said before tugging at Rinoa's hand leading them to Quistis's car. Rinoa took out Quistis's keys which she had taken earlier and got into the driver's seat. Soon enough the two drove off.

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Making their way to a small restaurant Squall and Quistis sat at a booth. The waitress came over straight away and gave them their menus. Squall didn't waste time, he disregarded the menu being handed and just ordered the first thing that came to his mind. "I'll just have a cheeseburger and coke" He said coolly.

Quistis just laughed "Are you that hungry?" She giggled again before turning to the waitress and ordering the same.

Once the waitress had left Quistis tried to start up another conversation.

"So how is this year going for you?" Quistis asked hoping this time he would be more conversing. He wasn't.

"Ok" was all he replied. The two were silent again.

Squall couldn't help it, he wanted to get home, actually he wanted to be with Rinoa, he had wished she had asked him instead of Seifer. He was imaging Seifer and Rinoa eating at home now laughing about their friend or talking about the movie.

The waitress finally came; Squall wasted no time and quickly munched his burger and finished his drink.

Quistis was stubborn; she wanted to take her time. _He__'__s being so rude._ She thought to herself, she didn't deserve this. This night was nothing like she used to dream, in her dreams Squall would be looking longingly into her eyes and reach over to stroke her hand. He'd feed her food off his plate and mutter sweet nothings. Instead Squall sat opposite her and chucked his food down faster then she was breathing.

Finally disheartened and wanting the desire to cry into her pillow she looked up at him and told him she was done. Squall looked at her plate and noticed she had finished her burger and was happy to take that as a sign of them leaving. He got up and walked over to the counter to pay for their food. Little did he know her words were not a reference to her finished meal.

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**Dun dun dun!!! =p **

**Anyways i wanted to ask my readers, what do you think of previews? I was thinking of putting in bits from my next chapter at the end of each chapter? You know keep you guys interested? Let me know!**


	6. King and Queen of Balamb High

**Ok I dont actually have anything smart to say, so I wont waste your time making you read something which you think is going to be of benefit, so sorry if you're reading this thinking, ok where is this going. In fact why are you still reading this i said there was nothing of importance here... oh well, since you're still here, i hope you like the comments section i put into this chapter, and more internet instant messaging will hopefully come in future chapters if you like.

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**Chapter 6 - King and Queen of Balamb High**

The red convertible pulled up into the drive way and the engine was shut off. Rinoa made her way out of the driver's seat and walked towards Seifer as he got out of the car.

"So I hope you don't mind reheated macaroni because I am really tired and can't be asked to cook!" Rinoa said giggling, "Not that you deserve anything nicely cooked after the comments you made about my choice in shoes."

Seifer merely let out a small chuckle before taking a deep breath. "Listen Rin, I was happy when you asked me out" He started.

_Oh great here comes the speech. _Rinoa thought, _am I really that off-putting?_

"But I think if I continued seeing you it wouldn't be fair on you. Erm, see there is this girl I like and she is kind of seeing someone else, so I thought that… maybe… you know if I saw someone else…" Seifer tried getting the words right.

"You'd get over her?" Rinoa finished smiling at him for his honesty.

"Err, yeah" Seifer said with a sympathetic smile.

Rinoa just looked down trying not to feel sad. But it was hard, she didn't really have strong feelings for Seifer but he was a nice guy to be around and they had a lot in common. She felt a little deflated and unwanted, _Its not like I want him either, but its just nice to know someone cares about you that little bit extra._ Rinoa looked back up at the huge figure towering over her.

"Its cool dude" She said smiling, "I understand". She didn't want Seifer to feel sorry for her, she understood that sometimes you liked a person and they didn't always like you back.

"Leonhart?" Seifer asked.

"What?" Rinoa said confused.

"I can see you both like each other". Seifer said looking away from Rinoa and towards the house. Rinoa wanted him to continue as she was aware that he had said 'both'.

"Quistis likes him a lot" was all Rinoa could manage to say.

"But you like him too, don't you?" He asked now looking directly at her. Then he laughed a hearted laugh. "Trust a guy who has never been the open type to have two women head-over-heels for him".

"I don't like him like that" Rinoa tried to dissuade Seifer from any further thoughts. Seifer and Squall were obviously close and if Rinoa let Seifer walk away knowing she had some kind of liking for Squall he would definitely tell him, and that would result in Quistis finding out. _Yeah right like I am going to let that happen._

"Yeah ok, well, I am going to head off, it was a awesome night" Seifer said before playfully punching Rinoa on the arm. "Maybe we can do this again, as friends, Ya know?" Seifer said laughing.

"Yeah, no problem, but you sure you don't want to come in?" Rinoa tried to offer.

"Nah, better get home, thanks anyways though" Seifer said, and was about to walk off.

"Seif?" Rinoa quickly got his attention before he left. "I don't feel like being alone right now".

She didn't need to elaborate, Seifer nodded and walked next to her and they both made their way into the house.

Once in the house Rinoa took off the dreaded heels and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge door and took out the Pyrex glass oven dish that contained her dinner and helped herself and Seifer to a large portion on a plate before warming it up in the microwave.  
The two sat on the breakfast bar sharing the plate of food and talking about general likes and dislikes. Rinoa filled him in on what her school life was like back in Deling City minus the bit about being the General's daughter. Seifer told her about his time growing up at the orphanage and how he was adopted at the age of 5 a couple of months before he started school. He talked about his childhood friends, one whom Rinoa knew back in Deling and the other a girl of the same age that recently moved to Deling this year.

"Yeah Fujin was kind of like my best mate, she was always there ready to give advice and bring me back to my senses when all I saw was blood" Seifer said slightly grievous.

"You must miss them a lot." Rinoa stated. Seifer merely nodded. "But, you got Squall" She reminded him.

"Believe it or not but me and Leonhart never really got along, I mean we were always friends, but we had that 'love-hate' relationship. We were always fighting, but soon after we'd make up." Seifer explained. "But me and the posse, never had one fight".

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Squall watched as Quistis made her way towards the front door and closed it shut behind her. He felt a tad bit guilty for not walking her up to the door, he offered which she quickly declined but he was somewhat happy she did. Thinking about taking her to the door and her waiting for him to make some kind of a romantic gesture made him feel queasy. But watching her walk off straight-faced and showing no emotions made him feel ashamed for ruining her evening.

He had to blame Seifer for that, the plan was for Seifer to make his move, but the whole time he was preoccupied with Rinoa. _Rinoa._

Squall looked at the house once more before slowly creeping off into the night.

* * *

Halfway through their dinner, Rinoa heard keys jingle in the door knob and Quistis's voice muttering some form of arrival. _She sounds sad_ Rinoa thought and wanted to see on Quistis. She remained seated though just in case her cousin thought she was snooping.

Quistis took off her pumps and walked into the kitchen and briefly glanced at Rinoa noticing Seifer sitting right next to her. "Hey guys" She tried to sound bubbly hiding the sadness she was actually feeling.

"How was your dinner?" Seifer asked genuinely worried about Squall being over the top cold. Quistis muttered her 'okays' and looked closer at the couple's setting. They were both sharing a plate of macaroni and sitting quite close to each other. Again her heart felt a pang and she wished it were her and Squall in the position. But things didn't always work out the way you wanted them to.

After making aware that she was turning in for the night Quistis made her way upstairs and started to undress getting into her pyjamas. She sat on her bed thinking about the events of night and that's when the tears started. She didn't deserve this, she liked Squall and all he did was ignore her, act cold towards her as if he couldn't wait to get away. She felt angry now, how could someone she like so much treat her like this? And more importantly, how could she still like someone that treated her so ill? Who did Squall want? Rinoa? So many questions were popping into Quistis's head and she couldn't help but feel angry towards both Squall and Rinoa.

* * *

Squall washed his face in the bathroom sink basin and picked up the small red face towel hanging on the bathroom radiator. He gently rubbed it against his face letting the small cloth soak up the moisture on his face.

Making his way out of the bathroom he went to check on Ellone and tell her he was turning in for the night. He tapped on the door to her room lightly and heard her call him in.

Squall walked into Ellone's bedroom which was dimly lit by the bedside lamp on her desk. The walls were painted magnolia with a patterned silver boarder going along the entire room just below the ceiling line. Her room was very neat and tidy with her clothes all nicely packed into her drawers and wardrobe. A small dirty laundry basket was tucked away to one corner and a study desk was sitting just below a medium sized window that looked out onto the beach. The wall surrounding the window was covered with papers and notes stuck onto a notice board that had scribbles all over. Ellone's final year at Balamb University kept her busy most of the time trying to achieve her best.

Ellone sat on her bed under her covers in her pyjamas, her glasses were still on and she was flipping through a textbook with her pencil busily scribbling away once in a while.

"I just came in to let you know I'm going to bed. Wake me up early if you get up before me." Squall stated and was about to turn to make his way out.

"Wait. Aren't you going to fill me in?" Ellone said tapping on a space on the bed next to her. "Its not every day my kid brother goes out on dates." She joked grinning widely.

"It wasn't a date. It was a group thing." Squall said monotone. He had been repeating the same thing to his father only a couple of hours ago when he informed him of his plans and the added request for some fiscal assistance. Laguna was more than happy to comply to his wishes and even gave him enough to last him through a month's 'group thing'.

"Sure it was." Ellone joked again laughing quietly.

"Whatever." Squall replied and made his way to her bed. He let his body drop heavily onto the bottom of her bed, the back of his head hitting the soft mattress soon followed by the rest of his body. He put his arm over his eyes and closed them thinking of how the turn of events played out.

"Go on, spill" Ellone demanded.

Squall removed his arm and looked at his sister as she put her book away and sat up straight with her legs crossed under the covers.

"We just went out, then they went home and me and Quistis grabbed a burger". Squall informed a very short broken down version.

"You and Quistis? What happened to the others?" She asked curiously.

"They all went home." Squall replied.

"So what did you do with Quistis? I meant after the burger" Ellone further prodded.

"Nothing, we just ate and then I took her home. The ride was quiet the whole way there." Squall finished.

"Oh." Ellone said softly. She placed a hand on Squall's arm and leaned her head in towards him. "Squall hun, no offence, but that sounded really boring."

Squall rolled his eye. "It was, I didn't want to be there."

"Oh no. Squall don't tell me you made Quistis's evening rubbish just because you didn't want to be there." Ellone cried.

"I didn't-"

"Because if you did you shouldn't have said you'd go." Ellone continued shaking her head.

"But I didn't say-"

"Quistis is a really nice girl, she doesn't deserve that."

"I know-"

"How would you like it if you liked someone and they did that to you? You wouldn't like it." Ellone ignored Squall's protests and kept lecturing.

"I didn't do anyth-"

"I feel so sorry for her, she must have been really embarrassed and bored. You know sometimes being around you is like being around a brick-"

"WALL. Yes I know!" Squall shouted waving his arms in the air in frustration. "I couldn't help it. She's been driving me crazy all last year, I don't mean to be rude but I let her down nicely before, she should've just given up!"

"Maybe she thinks you'll change your mind?"

"I won't! And she should stop hoping. God, its like someone has cast a blind spell on her. She's too self involved to see what is right in front of her".

"Squall!" Ellone cried incredulous.

"Its true!" He replied back sitting up now very annoyed. "And that prick Seifer pushed me into allowing her this year, he was supposed to go off with her, instead he leaves me, to go off with…" Squall didn't want to continue. His little out burst stopped abruptly just as it had started.

"With?" Ellone asked concerned. She put her hand on his the back of his hand and looked into his face. She could tell something was bothering him, something happened tonight and it was bothering him more than Quistis's plea.

"No one." Squall replied taking a breath.

"Squall, don't do that, don't bottle things up." Ellone sternly replied.

"Nah. He just went off with her cousin." Squall said shaking his head still feeling disbelief over Seifer's actions.

"Hmm." Ellone said looking at Squall with squinted eyes.

"What?" He looked Ellone in the eyes knowing she was about to come up with her psychological theories.

"Well since you asked." Ellone teased and Squall rolled his eyes waiting the inevitable. "I think you're more pissed off at something other than being left with Quistis, its more because Seifer left you and went off with this other person." She continued.

_She's good._ Squall thought to himself impressed by Ellone's accuracy.

"I think you secretly have feelings for Seifer"

_She's bad._

"I'm going to bed." Squall announced ready to leave.

"No I'm joking, lighten up." Ellone cried stifling her laughter. "Seriously though, who is she? You're obviously more upset at who Seifer went home with than having to spend an evening with Quistis."

"She's Quistis's cousin. She transferred from Deling City and she's in most of my classes." Squall answered quietly looking at the flower prints that adorned the bed-sheets.

"And you like her?" Ellone asked hoping for a positive answer. She didn't want her brother to be love sick over someone that didn't reciprocate his feelings, but at the same time she was finally hoping that the day came when her brother actually felt something for someone of the opposite sex. She had fears about him living his whole life without feeling any atom's weight of romance, she thought he'd miss out on a lot due to his introvert character.

"Yeah" Squall answered honestly and got up off the bed.

"You should tell her Squall. I mean you should tell Quistis about your feelings. She might not like it now, but believe me she'd prefer you being honest than having to find out some other way." Ellone advised before picking up her textbook again and flipping back to her previous page.

"I will" Squall nodded and headed out of the room closing the door quietly shut behind him.

* * *

A light knocking came from her door. "Come in" Quistis said and quickly wiped the tears away.

Rinoa's head popped in first and the her whole body came in to view. "Quisty are you ok?" She was genuinely concerned. She made her way towards the bed and gave Quistis a hug. "I thought I heard sniffles." She said rubbing the blonde's back.

"Its nothing." Quistis pulled her head out of Rinoa's embrace and smiled meekly.

Rinoa sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Quistis to explain what had happened. She felt terrible that her cousin was going through this, but at the same time she felt a tiny morsel of happiness that Squall wasn't head over heels in love with Quistis. _What?! Quistis, _my cousin_ is going through a heart break and I am _happy_? How cruel am I? _Rinoa felt guilty for feeling like that, but ever since she made that promise she felt somehow she was being forced to not like Squall. _But that's all it is, I just like him. Why ruin my relationship with Quisty for a guy I just like? Plus she does have dibs on him since she met him first, right?_ Rinoa struggled with herself.

She looked over at Quistis who still wasn't talking. "So what happened?" She finally asked.

"He's just not in to me I guess." Quistis said with the most saddest voice Rinoa had heard from her.

Rinoa was contemplating, should she go for the optimistic 'he doesn't know what he's missing' or should she just be honest? "Quistis, sometimes you really want something, but its just not for you. It hurts but I think it just means that there is something better for you waiting in the future". She said hoping she pulled off a medium stance between the two.

"I guess so" Quistis only replied back. "So what's happening with you and Seifer? You both looked very cosy back there" Quistis tried to tease.

"No, he headed off home a while ago" Rinoa said laughing lightly, "we're just friends, Seifer likes someone else".

"Really, who?" Quistis said. She had known Seifer for a long time and he was never the type to actually go out with girls. He'd always flirt with Quistis briefly but most girls he'd just pick on and laugh mercilessly. The only girl he properly ever got along with was Fujin, but she had moved away long ago.

"I don't know, he didn't say, just that she was dating someone else".

Quistis's mind started to wonder. If Rinoa and Seifer weren't happening, and she and Squall weren't happening, what if Squall asked Rinoa out? She wasn't blind or stupid, she saw the stares headed at Rinoa from Squall and the way he wanted to head off when Rinoa refused to come to dinner. She had to do some damage control, she didn't want to see Squall with anyone let alone her cousin.

"Well that's daft, I think he's just trying hard to get. Rinoa you like him, so don't let him get away. Plus you looked cute together" Quistis said getting up and getting into her bed covers.

"I don't think he's trying hard to get and I am not really bothered". Rinoa said making sure Quistis didn't think she was hugely upset over the matter.

"Rin, don't worry, trust me after I am done, he will definitely like you." Quistis said with a wicked smile.

"Quisty, don't do anything. Seriously I am not bothered by this, he's just a friend, don't do anything!" Rinoa said sternly.

"Goodnight" Quistis said and closed her eyes whilst still smiling.

Rinoa accepting defeat walked towards the door and turned off Quistis's lights.

Making her way towards her own room she started dressing for bed. She thought about Squall and how the failed date went with Quistis. She felt guilty for not being completely upset over Quistis's troubles.

_You only like him because you can't have him._ She thought to herself.

_No that's not true. Of course it is, you started liking him after she made you promise not to go after him. Really? _Rinoa frowned, she was confused now. Did she really only like Squall because she was forced not to? _Want what you can't have. _She got into the bed covers and pulled them up to her chin, wrapping her legs round the bottom end of the covers. She thought back to when she first met him in the lobby before he gave her a tour. She replayed the scene in her head trying to find some closure to the endless questions and accusations that filled her mind.

He had walked up behind her, Seifer stood in front of her pointing to Squall's figure. She had turned around not expecting much but instead was faced with a tall, dark and handsome figure that stood looming over her. She noticed his eyes first, the deep pools of steel blue that held such fields of saddness. His eyes were small but perfectly shaped and the scar that ran across in between further emphasised the colours of his iris. His hair was a pile of shaggy brown mess that at the same time neatly fell into place, his bangs covering most of his cheeks and the sides of his forehead. She looked at him taking in his beauty and she could tell he was doing just the same.

Of course he didn't speak at first, but when he did she felt elated, she liked the attention from him and she wanted more. She wanted more from that Squall, and not the Squall that was her cousin's love interest. In that moment when she was walking beside him, she knew him as someone who was filling her with excitement, someone she could see pursuing something with, someone that looked at her with the same hope and care she was searching for.

Now all warm and comfortable she slowly allowed sleep to overcome here. Not before answering to the doubts that filled her mind.

_I don't want what I can't have. I want Squall because I care for him… because I like him… because I'm starting to love…_ with her eyelids shut completely she drifted off into a soundless sleep.

* * *

Quistis could hear silence finally coming from Rinoa's room. She got up quietly and made her way towards her desk. She logged onto her laptop and waited for the screen to load. Once she was in she opened up a web browser and typed in Balamb High's school website address. From there she accessed the school's Student Board, a forum where the latest updates of festivals and events took place. One board in particular was the 'What's Hot' where a group of gossip queens and kings spent their time idly talking about the new couples formed in the school along with a list of 'Top 10' hot boys and girls. It was ridiculous and Quistis never gave time to it, but now it would help her in her plan.

She started a new thread and wrote her message before opting to remaining anonymous and finally clicked send.

She logged out of the laptop and headed back to her bed before falling off into a similar deep sleep.

* * *

Squall turned from his right onto his left and faced the far end of his wall. He was lying in bed hoping to fall into a deep sleep but with the anxiety and annoyance built up inside him he couldn't feel peace. Moving onto his right side again he faced the wall that ran alongside the side of his bed.

His thoughts drifted back to the evening and the annoyance built up once more. He couldn't believe he was getting hyped up over Seifer and Rinoa. He knew he liked her, he felt something for Rinoa when he saw her. It wasn't love at first sight or anything, but he knew he wanted something along those lines.

But he didn't know how he was supposed to feel. He never liked a girl before, when he was young he thought it was 'yucky' to like girls. The only girl he really liked when he was young was Ellone and that's because she'd share her cookies with him and pour him apple juice when he couldn't reach the shelf in the fridge.

Growing up was the same as his childhood, he was never interested in girls. He knew it wasn't because he was hiding in some kind of closet, just that he hadn't met someone he wanted to give himself to completely, someone he would lay his feelings out to on a table, someone that he would expose all his scars to. Someone he would even take a bullet for. It sounded cliché, but he always felt and believed that if you loved someone, you'd have to give them your heart, and if you gave them your heart, you'd have to give them all the accessories that came with it. There was no point in loving someone if it was based on time or based on mild likeness. _Rinoa, would I take a bullet for you?_ He asked himself inhaling in deep through his nose and releasing it like a load off his shoulder.

He turned and faced the ceiling and focused on the darkness of his room. He couldn't make out any detail of the plaster that made his ceiling due to lack of light in his room.

_I wouldn't take a bullet for you, I'd take a thousand._

* * *

Rinoa pulled her bag out of Quistis's red convertible and brushed down her blue jeans. She wore a small black jacket over her red three quarter V-neck top and had her hair tied in a high ponytail. Quistis walked round the car in her 2 inch heels and her short black skirt. The blonde wore a yellow summer top and had her sunglasses fixed atop her blonde hair. It was funny sight, it was only Autumn but here was one girl dressed for the hottest day on earth and another like it was about to rain.

They made their way towards the school building with Quistis getting positive looks from the male students. She felt revitalised. She knew the whole Squall thing would soon phase out and thought what better way than getting over a guy with another guy?

She spent the whole of Sunday reading on the Internet the fastest, and stupidest, ways to get over a heartbreak and decided that this was the way she would be.

Rinoa eyed Quistis's attire as she noticed the stares she was receiving from the opposite member of the sex. Quistis looked hot, really hot and Rinoa knew this time Squall would notice. It made her slightly envious that Quistis could look that good and get this much attention, she really didn't want Squall to give her that but even Rinoa knew it would take a lot to look away from what Quistis was wearing.

It was when they both walked past the school entrance barriers and were walking towards the large fountain near the foyer that one of the girl's from Rinoa's Chemistry class ran up to her with her iPhone practically shoving it in Rinoa's face.

"Oh my God Rinoa! I can't believe you made the Top Couples list" She said her face just beaming with excitement.

"The what?" Rinoa said confused. She had only been here a week and wasn't up to date with all the business in Balamb.

"Its some stupid list losers take part in because they have nothing better to do." Quistis interjected, "Seriously, Diamond, do you have nothing better to do with your time?"

The other girl embarrassedly looked away, Quistis had that effect on others, she was quite intimidating.

"Okay, so why am I on the list? I'm not even part of a couple." Rinoa replied.

"That's not what it says here." Diamond handed her the iPhone and Rinoa read the paragraph posted on the school website.

_Balamb's new student, Rinoa Heartilly, hasn't waited to seek the attention of our very own rugged Seifer Almasy. The two were spotted looking very cosy at the Balamb Mall on Saturday, holding hands, sharing popcorn and giggling into each others ears. Rumour has it the two were continuously flirting during school the week before the date. _

_So readers the question is, are the newly dark haired bombshell and the blond hunk the new King and Queen of Balamb High? Vote now!_

_-Poll now closed-_

_Rinoa x Seifer [80%]_

_Selphie x Irvine [15%]_

_Xu x Nida [05%]_

**_Comments_**

**_PupuPrince wrote:_**

_OMG dat girl is hott! Seif is a lucky guy._

**_3riple3riad wrote:_**

_Seif is buff! The new girl is the lucky one! Damn her! Lol only joking ppl dnt get mad! =(_

**_Selph007 wrote:_**

_Hey they're both my friends I didn't know they were going out…_

Rinoa stopped reading, she couldn't believe this. How could people write something to farfetched from a group date?! What more were people going to say? More importantly, what was Seifer going to say?

* * *

**Well here's the teaser for you peeps who bothered to review my last chapter:**

Zell was sitting on the glass pulling some out and muttering replies to Seifer's story.

Squall looked past Seifer and saw Rinoa approaching with Selphie and Quistis. The two blond boys followed his gaze and smiled as they saw the three girls approach.

"Hey guys" Rinoa said squinting into the sunlight.

"Sup" Zell replied, while Squall merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"Sup girlfriend" Seifer mocked in a silly accent.

Rinoa blushed before saying "Oh so I guess you read that?"

"Yeah had a good laugh" Seifer said teasingly.

"I just wanted to apologise if it makes you feel embarrassed or causes you any problems with… erm that thing" Rinoa tried her best to explain.

"Nah don't worry about it, just some hot gossip, it will die down soon enough" Seifer said.

"Shame" Quistis interrupted.

"What?" Rinoa asked.

"I said shame. You guys got like 80% votes and to be honest you look really cute. It's a shame you are not together really".

"Don't be daft" Rinoa replied laughing.

"I'm not, Squall, Zell don't you think they're perfect for each other?" Quistis asked, though she was mainly asking for Squall's opinion. She wanted to punish him for his rude hospitality he showed her the previous Saturday.


	7. Unfolding Plans

**Ok we're moving into the plot here. I've mentioned a lot of history and politics in this chapter so sorry if you find it a bit boring, i myself found it interesting... but then again being the writer i guess i would =P.**

**I only got like 2 reviews from the last chapter so im not sure if i should be continuing this, nor do i know if im making any mistakes so if anyone is out there reading this please review and tell me where my mistakes are i would really appreciate it. Even if your review is one word like Excellent, Good, Poor, Crap, STOP (writing this awful story).**

**Also a very big thank you to n9neSTAR who keeps pumping me with inspiration and encouragement and crepsucule (sorry i think i mis-spelt it) for the rountine reviews, you guys are ace!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Final Fantasy or To Kill a Mocking Bird.**

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* * *

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Chapter 7 - Unfolding Plans.

Squall chucked his jacket into his locker and retrieved his black hooded zip-up jumper, sliding it over his head and pulling up the hood. His soft brown bangs fell down in front of his brows, shaking his head to allow them to fall into their default position. He was walking towards his first class, Biology, when he felt an arm go round his head and force it into a lock.

"Sup Pubery boy?" Seifer said laughing and rubbing his fist vigourously into the soft cotton of Squall's hood.

"Almasy, get off!" Squall broke from the lock and shoved Seifer away from him. Giving him a death stare as he walked towards his original destination.

"What's wrong Squall you got your period today?" Seifer teased breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter. Squall just remained silent refusing to entertain Seifer's insults.

"Yo" Zell called while sprinting up to the two boys, he was wearing his three quarter jeans and a black zip-up that made him look like a skater kid.

"Dude you and Rinoa going out?" Zell asked Seifer curiously.

"Nah she's nice and all but I'm more into the blondes myself" Seifer said smugly stroking his own blond spikes.

"Oh" Zell said and was about to continue.

"Yeah but someone over here can't get enough of Miss Hot Heels" Seifer said attempting to grab Squall in a headlock again.

"Dude you touch me one more time and I swear I will heel you were the sun don't shine" Squall remarked shoving Seifer off him for the second time.

"Well Sarah found this on the school website" Zell said offering the printed sheet he held in his hand. Seifer took the sheet off him and read it before bursting into another fit of laughter. He chucked the paper towards Squall whose reflex caught the paper neatly and began reading.

"Some people have too much time on their hands" Squall commented after reading it and chucking the paper back to Zell.

"Some people are jealous" Seifer said teasing Squall.

"Whatever" Squall replied back.

"So you don't actually like Rinoa?" Zell asked Seifer. Seifer shook his head and made a pointing thumb towards Squall.

"Damn, Squall you gotta get in there man" Zell said laughing and then stopped short. "Wait, then why did you go off with Rinoa" he said pointing at Seifer "and you go off with Quistis?" he finished pointing at Squall.

"Chicken-wuss it was suppose to be a set-up, I was meant to go off with Quistis, while Puberty-boy and Rinoa got it going on" Seifer answered reading the printed page again.

The three boys walked into their class and sat at their seats. Zell was the first to speak.

"So what happened?" He asked looking at Squall.

"Well genius over here walked off with the wrong girl" Squall said softly. "And I did not want to 'get it on' with anyone". He added taking his books out of his bag and flipping through the pages.

"Hey its not my fault she kept on, she liked my company, plus we have a lot in common." Seifer answered back. It was true, he wanted to spend his time with Quistis, but honestly he had fun with Rinoa; he didn't regret going out with them.

"Yeah well there was no need to leave me alone with Quistis." Squall said still sour about the dinner incident.

"What was I suppose to do? She obviously didn't want anyone coming along".

"Poor Quisty" Zell said looking into space. "Seifer why don't you just tell her you like her?"

"I wasn't asking for your advice Agony Chicken-wuss" Seifer said rather harshly.

"I'm just saying, if one of you actually like her, tell her. I told Sarah and look where it got me?" Zell said happily daydreaming.

"What? You practically stalked her for months before you plucked up the courage to ask her out. She probably said yes to get you off her back" Seifer joked.

"Shut up" Zell said turning his attention back to his daydream.

The new teacher walked in and settled the class which didn't take much time. The boys all paid attention to the new Biology teacher, Miss Lulu. "Right class, I will be your teacher for the rest of the year, we will start with looking at human cells so please open your text books to page 14." She said writing the title and date on the writing board.

A boy with sandy blond hair at the front raised his hand, his friends sniggering behind him. "Yes?" the teacher asked.

"Miss, you're hot!" He said laughing at himself. Squall rolled his eyes. They had one every year, a class clown that had to stop the learning process in order to achieve some lifetime attainment of acting like a complete ass in front of the entire class.

"Thank you for the compliment, my husband, Coach Wakka, thinks so too" The teacher replied back before turning to the class and started reading from the textbook. The three boys settled down their laughter stopping at their throats. Squall smirked; he was going to like this teacher and her quick wit.

* * *

After their biology lesson the boys headed straight to the gym, they had a half an hour break before their next lesson so they normally hung outside the gym so they could be the first to change without having to squeeze past the other two dozen boys that used the changing room like their bedroom.

Squall stood leaning against a large tree planted near the gym's building. Seifer was standing around talking about his foster father's plans to send him to Centra for the winter holidays to get him acquainted with the family business. Seifer was adopted but his family lifestyle was no different to that of Squall's. Seifer foster father acted like a real father, he was an easy-going man but with strict rules that he placed when Seifer disobeyed or misbehaved. But at the same time, he made plans to help Seifer in his future career and always tried to get Seifer to look into different career paths to make him successful. Seifer's foster mother was also a kind lady that treated Seifer like her own son and slightly spoiled Seifer while he was growing up. Both parents had a difficult time trying for children and had come very close at one point. An accident at Shumi village though had left Mrs Kramer with a miscarriage and later she could no longer carry. It was a year after that incident that the couple decided to look into adoption and visited the Centra Ruins' Orphange where they met with Seifer and instantly clicked. In some ways, it was a blessing in disguise.

Zell was sitting on the glass pulling some blades out and muttering replies to Seifer's story.

Squall looked past Seifer and saw Rinoa approaching with Selphie and Quistis. The two blond boys followed his gaze and smiled as they saw the three girls approach.

"Hey guys" Rinoa said squinting into the sunlight.

"Sup" Zell replied, while Squall merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"Sup girlfriend" Seifer mocked in a silly accent.

Rinoa blushed before saying "Oh so I guess you read that?"

"Yeah had a good laugh" Seifer said teasingly.

"I just wanted to apologise if it makes you feel embarrassed or causes you any problems with… erm that thing" Rinoa tried her best to explain.

"Nah don't worry about it, just some hot gossip, it will die down soon enough" Seifer said.

"Shame" Quistis interrupted.

"What?" Rinoa asked.

"I said shame. You guys got like 80% votes and to be honest you look really cute. It's a shame you are not together really".

"Don't be daft" Rinoa replied laughing.

"I'm not, Squall, Zell don't you think they're perfect for each other?" Quistis asked, though she was mainly asking for Squall's opinion. She wanted to punish him for his rude hospitality he showed her the previous Saturday.

"Yeah I guess so" Zell said not too bothered by the situation.

Squall didn't reply, he just looked at Rinoa and then at Seifer, and then he looked away.

Rinoa just stood staring feeling uncomfortable.

"Well I think you two look cute, if there is any tiny morsel of interest in either of you." Selphie giggled.

Rinoa just rolled her eyes and Seifer chuckled. Quistis kept staring at Squall, he didn't answer her question, and he didn't even play along. She knew he liked Rinoa, maybe not in love with her, but there was definitely some kind of feeling that he never shared with Quistis. She didn't like that; it wasn't about fairness, now it had crossed a boarder. _He is doing this on purpose, _she thought, _he is purposefully making me jealous and being rude to me._

The bell soon went off and Rinoa gave a sigh of relief. She waved goodbyes and headed off with the other two girls while the boys made their way to their gym class.

* * *

Squall chucked his gym bag into the boot of his car and made his way round the front to get in. He had a tiring day at school and wanted to get home as quick as possible but had to wait around for Zell.

He got into his car making himself comfortable and took out his book. With lessons only going on for a week he had already surpassed his literature reading class by three chapters. He liked reading To Kill a Mocking Bird mainly due to the calm and unbiased approach to society's norms Atticus challenged. The book was more than just a passage way to make people understand the wrong in white supremacy or any other racial supremacy; it was the relationships built through the struggles and tribulations people faced alone and together. It was sort of like the situation that the real world was in with the war between Galbadia and Esthar, only on a lighter scale.

It had gone about five minutes and Squall was wondering where Zell had got to. He looked up ahead and could see Seifer's broad figure talking to Rinoa under the large birch tree that adorned the parking lot. She was laughing and punching him slightly causing her body to be hidden away from Squall's view and behind Seifer's body.

* * *

"Ow, look what you did?"

"What's wrong?" Seifer asked looking into Rinoa's now vigorous rubbing of her eye.

"I think some crap flew into my eye" Rinoa replied still rubbing away.

"Well don't make it worse by rubbing it. Here open it up and I'll blow into it." Seifer instructed as he bent his head forward holding the back of her head with one hand and letting the other rest on her chin.

He lightly blew into her iris and could make out the fluff that had entered its way in uninvited. He blew again moving his mouth closer to her face.

* * *

A flash went off and then a couple more.

"Perfect" Said Quistis with a smile before plopping her phone into her bag and walking away.

* * *

Squall just sat in silence looking at Seifer and Rinoa with their heads locked. It didn't take a genius to know what was going on. He felt as if a weight were attached to his heart pulling it down while his heart struggled to remain in place. Betrayal and dejection was what he was feeling, sure Seifer didn't know how much he liked Rinoa, but those jokes he made about Rinoa and him, what was that? Was he getting back for the situation with Quistis? He couldn't look at him anymore. Either of them.

The side door just opened and Zell hopped in.

"Safe bro, lets go. Damn that Kefka dude, I swear he'd make a better nuclear scientist than a teacher. Always going on about experiments and shit". Zell blabbed on as Squall reversed and sped his way down the parking lot before leaving the school behind.

* * *

"Thanks" Rinoa said sniffing and exercising her eyes.

"No probs, anyways I'll see ya later, I'm going to see if I can catch up with Squall and copy his Bio homework" Seifer said before walking off.

Rinoa waved and walked towards Quistis's waiting red convertible.

"There you are" Quistis shouted as Rinoa approached her car.

"Sorry I got talking to Seifer" Rinoa said apologetically and hopped in pulling her belt over her and making herself comfortable.

"Hmm… well for two people who aren't going out you both seem to get a long very well" Quistis said teasing.

"Don't. Seifer actually likes someone else, remember?" Rinoa said matter of factly.

"You know, I think he just said that to play hard to get" Quistis replied.

"Nah, Seifer is too sure of himself to play that way."

"Well, it wouldn't be too bad if those rumours were true, you guys really do look cute together" Quistis said with a huge grin.

_She's awfully happy._ Rinoa thought. She opened her mouth to ask but then decided against it. Anything but Quistis being upset with her was fine with Rinoa, they had too many futile arguments since she got here it would have been a shame to waste this moment.

* * *

Squall sat in his living room against the front of the couch on the floor. Zell had walked in from the living room with some drinks and snacks.

The two decided the best way to relax after enduring a long and hard day at school was to wind down and play some video games.

"Who you gonna be?" Zell asked shoving a handful of cheese flavoured crisp balls and munching on them noisily.

"Who other than Law?" Squall replied sipping on his chilled coke. The drink was cold and he could feel the icy liquid pass down his trachea and fill his entire inside of his chest with it's cold temperature. "You?"

"Nah I'm more into the blonde spikes and leather gloves" Zell teased back before selecting his character and making himself more comfortable on the brown rug he was sitting on.

"_Law versus Paul"_ announced the game and the two started battling it out. No sooner than ten seconds into the game the sound of the doorbell went off.

"Dude you got a visitor" Zell stated obviously.

"Get it then" Squall replied not bothered.

"Dude it's your house you get it"

"Yeah right so you can cheat" Squall retorted. He wouldn't trust to leave his game unattended while playing Zell. He'd only come back and find his character to the brink of death while Zell hopping in one place screaming 'Booya'.

"Lonie! The door!" Squall and Zell both shouted in unison.

"I'm upstairs! Get off your lazy butts and get it yourself" Ellone screamed back in reply.

"Sis… Please!" Squall cried back in a voice that tried to display hurt.

Ellone's scurried footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. She walked towards the front door and opened it. There stood Seifer who smiled at her before taking her into a hug.

"Hey 'lone how's uni?" He asked sincerely.

"Would be going good if I could get some work done" She replied back moving out of his way so he could come inside. She followed him into the living room opting to use the sliding doors that divided the living room and the kitchen as her method to get to the kitchen. Not before smacking Squall over the head with her reading book as she walked by muttering references to how lazy he could be.

"You guys left me back at school to come play this?" Seifer said with mock hurt.

"You looked busy with Rinoa" Squall answered honestly.

"Yeah I was just doing the ol' charm on her" Seifer said smugly.

"Bet you were" Squall replied not looking at him and keeping his concentration on the screen. Seifer's presence and direction of conversation were having adverse affects to his game play. Zell kept looking at Squall's direction as he realised Squall was mercilessly thrashing his character.

"Someone jealous?" Seifer teased. He could tell Squall was, Squall hadn't liked a girl before and Seifer knew he was serious about this one.

"Piss off" Squall muttered back and finally knocked out Zell's character.

"Chill it was joke" Seifer replied frowning at Squall with disappointment. He couldn't believe how emotional Squall was getting over this girl. Almost as if he was forgetting that Seifer liked Quistis and wasn't at all interested in Rinoa.

"Whatever" Squall replied and thrust the controller over to Seifer before picking up his drink and chugging it down.

"Boy, if you going to have another period over this why don't you just hurry up and ask her out?" Seifer suggested although angrily. He began pacing through the screen of different characters before settling for one.

"Yeah why don't you Squall?" Zell pipped in.

"Cause you bloody got me into this crap with Quistis!" Squall finally let out. "Not to mention having your tongue down her throat already!"

"What the… where the hell did you get that?" Seifer asked incredulous at Squall's outburst. He was shocked to hear Squall come out with such suspicions over a small talk with the girl. If this was how Squall reacted to someone he merely liked, what would he be like when he was in love with Rinoa.

"Don't even try to deny it. I saw you both in the parking lot, real romantic." Squall answered sarcastically. The image of them both surfaced and he lowed his eyes, he couldn't look at Seifer. The thought of Rinoa and Seifer made Squall ache and yearn for her even more, sure Seifer met her first, but meeting someone first didn't equal rights. But after what he saw today he wouldn't stand in Seifer's way if Rinoa wanted to pursue something with him, _its not like she's interested in me, not after that kiss._

"Dude we were chilling, there was no kissing involved." Seifer replied even more astounded by Squall's suspicious.

"I know what I saw." Squall said looking at him directly in the eyes.

"Well then you need to get your eyes checked because there was no kissing. Unless you mean blowing, cause that I did" Seifer lamely joked, raising his hand to Zell for a high five.

Zell only shook his head with his hands still on the controller. "Failure" He replied.

Seifer dismissed Zell and looked back at Squall. "Dude, she got something in her eye, I blew into it. That was it, honest to God, I wouldn't do that, I know you're like psycho crazy over her." He said sincerely and went back to his game. Squall felt a bit guilty now, he knew deep down Seifer wouldn't do that to him. Sure the two never got along all the time, but both had principles and were decent; they'd never go after a girl when they knew the other liked her.

He felt stupid, yet relieved. "That still doesn't solve anything to do with Quistis." Squall reminded him.

"Well that was before Rinoa. And allow this whole thing with Quistis, woman makes my head spin. Plus it seemed like she was getting bored of you, hardly made any advances towards you today. You may just be losing your touch Squall." Seifer commented while smashing down on the controller buttons.

"Yeah whatever, you got me into this, you're going to get me out" was only Squall's reply.

"Exactly how?" Seifer asked.

"I don't know."

* * *

The boys sat there for another hour playing through video games when Laguna walked in. He took off his long coat hanging it up on cloak hanger and making his way to the lounge.

"Hey boys, how was school?" He asked genuinely interested.

"Same old same old" Zell replied.

"We got a hot biology teacher" Came Seifer's reply.

Squall merely looked to acknowledge his father and looked back at the T.V screen.

"Good good, hope you are staying out of trouble this year Seifer, I had a talk with your dad last week he is really interested in you studying at Centra next year." Laguna lectured feeling his responsibility towards Seifer.

"Yeah got my head down this year" Seifer said almost robotically.

"Squall, can I speak to you in the kitchen please?" Laguna asked making his way into the kitchen. Squall followed in pursuit closing the door that divided the kitchen and the lounge once he got there. He knew his father well and the only time he asked Squall politely to follow him in front of his friends was when he had something important to share.

He looked at his father expectedly. Laguna stood at the threshold of the other door to the kitchen and called Ellone downstairs. No sooner she had made her way and sat on one of the kitchen stools.

Laguna shoved his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath. He looked at both his children and finally opened his mouth to speak.

"As you both know, I have been making my way to Esthar a lot this month to settle this whole war with Galbadia. So I am happy, and might I add relieved to say the least, that we have made a Truce of Stability." Laguna started off.

"But daddy I thought the war was over three years ago?" Ellone asked confused.

"The war ended yes, and a truce was made verbally. But this whole time there were no documentation therefore it meant no legal rights of one country over another. Right now we have a major problem with a threat of civil rebellion." Laguna concluded.

"What do you mean?" Squall asked.

"Well sometimes when citizens don't like the way a government is leading a country they reb-"

"No I know what civil rebellion is, I mean what does that mean for Esthar and Galbadia?" Squall asked irritated.

"It means there are people that are willing to sacrifice peace between the two countries to cause some friction."

"So they're like what? Xenophobes that don't want the two countries to work together or something?" Ellone asked.

"No, not exactly. They are more like insecure people that don't believe the governments are genuine and actually want a peace treaty. They feel this peace is some trick of the sleeve and there is some benefit for one country while a disadvantage for the other." Laguna explained.

"So what does that mean for the treaty?" Squall asked quickly. He didn't like endless talk, he was a direct guy and wanted the information in short precise points.

"It means that there are people that will either detest, challenge or revolt. Which means that I must find a way to make the people of Galbadia believe and trust in the treaty and… trust in me" Laguna finally concluded.

"And exactly how are you going to do that?" Ellone asked although she already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid the cover has to come off" Laguna said sadly.

"What?" Squall shouted and immediately remembered the two blonds in the next room.

"Dad you can't!" Ellone cried equally as loud. "You promised, you said that this family would never have to face the lime light. It's not fair to do this in both mine and Squall's final year. Squall still has to go to Uni, do you know the type of prejudice and attention we'd face?" Ellone finished.

"I know honey. Which is why I carefully considered this option and came to a decision. You both have to understand, Esthar is known for its xenophobic attitude." The two were about to argue but Laguna held his hand out as a gesture for them to wait. "Which we all know isn't true. After Adel's regime it was only natural for a country to go completely isolated from other countries for fear of history repeating itself."

Laguna made his way towards the kitchen basin and retrieved a drinking glass and filled it with water. He took a long swig from it and looked back his two children.

"So the world didn't completely understand when Esthar shut its door and bolted it shut. Nor were they ever informed of Esthar's political or social news. Heck when I became president they didn't know. To the rest of the world it is scary, they don't know what we're planning or unplanning, we're like a ghost". He continued taking a short breath.

The two just listened in silence.

"Anyways, the only way it would make the Galbadians feel better is if they knew more about Esthar and more about its people. Hence 'Mission Esthar Open Day'."

"Err what?" Squall asked confused.

"Esthar, as of a date which I will need to confirm with Galbadia's General Caraway, will finally open its doors to countries other than Balamb and Fisherman's Horizon. People from Galbadia are now eligible to apply for Student Visa, Working Visa, Request for Citizenship, we're basically making Esthar a multicultural country." Laguna said hoping to sound as excited as it actually was.

"But there's only one problem with your plan" Squall commented. "How are you going to make people believe that Esthar is a country they will be safe in when the countries have been at war for God knows how long."

"Exactly. Which brings me to my exposure. No one is going to trust a country where they don't even know what they're president looks like. But, I made a decision that they will only know about me, I won't involve you both into my plans" Laguna said sincerely placing a hand on Ellone's shoulder and looking directly into Squall's eyes. In that moment he had just realised that Squall was only an inch shorter than himself. It felt like only yesterday he was helping the boy walk across the garden lawn teaching him how to walk.

The two siblings let out a sigh of relief. "How will it work though? Once they find out the President of Esthar lives here they'll bound to find out about me and Squall" Ellone asked.

"Well, that brings me to my other thing" Laguna said now not making contact with the kids. "I'm going to have to move semi-permanently to Esthar for the time being"

Squall and Ellone both looked at each other with shock. A smile tugged at the sides of Squall's mouth and the two high fived each other shouting 'woohoos'.

Laguna looked hurt and started to protest still stiffling a laugh.

"Oh dad, we're kidding. But it does seem like a good plan, plus it's better for your health if you don't travel so much back and forth" Ellone comforted him.

"Hey I'm not that old am I?" Laguna asked teasingly.

"Still, just because you introduce yourself to Galbadia doesn't mean they will accept you straight away" Squall argued.

"You're right, but it's still worth a shot, plus when they find out that I'm a Galbadian myself they might be more accepting. This whole process is for the two countries to come together, the two biggest countries on this earth it would make things a lot simpler and friendly if they got on like two peas in pod" Laguna explained still exasperated by the situation.

"You're going to have to find other ways of bringing the nations together" Ellone inputted.

"I know honey, that's why the General will be coming over in four weeks. You both need to be very presentable and touch up on your social skills. Squall, you more than Lonie" Laguna joked. "Maybe Lonie can lend you some foundation to cover up that scar"

"Whatever" Squall replied rolling his eyes. Ellone laughed.

"Wait, why do we have meet him?" She asked seriously.

"Well honey, I'm keeping you out of the lime light, but if the General of Galbadia doesn't even know who my kids are than it will look very suspicious" Laguna tried to reason.

The two kids nodded and the three made their final arrangements. Things were going to be somewhat different now that Laguna wouldn't be permanently living with them, but Squall didn't mind so much. He was used to having his own space anyways, although he felt a tad bit upset that his father sacrificed a lot for their privacy. If anything, Squall respected him more than anything.

* * *

Rinoa was about to get ready and jump into bed, it was nearing 10pm and she felt so tired she could of just fallen onto her shag rug and snore to 'lala land' right there. Just as she was comfortable her phone went off. Blinking her eyes to focus she grabbed her phone off her night stand and looked at the caller. Shocked at how late he was calling she quickly flipped the phone up and held it to her ear.

"Hey dad!"

* * *

**Ok so i hope i didnt put anyone to sleep in the second to last scene, the story will be more plot based now seeing as im waaay past the introductory stage.  
As promised here is a teaser for next weeks chapter. I'll make it a bit fun for putting those of you to sleep. XD**

**Next Week on The Set Up...**

**...**

__

He had found her sitting on the edge of a cliff looking longingly out onto the plains of Galbadia which could be seen outside the town. The sun was setting in the distant horizon and the last traces of golden light illuminated the young girl's face highlighting the delicate tears that streaked her face.

"Rinoa" He addressed her with his calmest and softest voice. "May I take this seat?"

"Go for it" She replied without looking at him. Her eyes were still focused on the setting sun and occasionally she'd take a deep sniff and wipe a couple of stray tears that gathered at the corners of hr mouth.

...

** Tune in next week same time same place only on Niqsta! **

**=p... Lame i know!**


	8. The Thousand Watt Smile

**OK, now I've taken a leap in time from the other chapter, simply because there is no need to have a chapter or chapters of what is happening in the four weeks upto this chapter. So Rinoa has been in Balamb for over a month now and she's settled in with the group and all.**

**I also want to apologise for my French, i don't actually speak French, i got someone to translate the parts i wanted but then i couldn't read their handwriting =), so please bear with me and correct me where i am wrong.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 8 - The Thousand Watt Smile

Quistis parked her car into a bay at the high school parking lot and picked up her brown leather bag off the car floor. She looked over at Rinoa and smacked the girl's arm, "Get up Rinoa." She shouted.

"I'm up, I'm up". Rinoa said groggily. The raven haired girl adjusted her clothes and pulled her sunglasses up briefly squinting into the sunlight before replacing the glasses back onto her eyes.

"How long were you talking to your dad last night?" Quistis asked worried.

"We had some catching up to do" Rinoa replied back tiredly yawning.

"You've been here like four weeks, you've pretty much talked to your dad every night this week and not much has happened. What could you have possibly 'caught' up with?" Quistis further prodded.

"Stuff" was all Rinoa replied and Quistis didn't bother to push it any further. She took her bag and began walking into the main foyer with Rinoa close behind.

Truth was, Rinoa couldn't tell her the conversation she had. Sure Quistis was her cousin and all, but when Rinoa's father meant business he meant exactly that and a Caraway secret meant more than anything else in the world. Four weeks ago her father had updated her with the news of Esthar and Galbadia's current peace treaty and how she was to attend a function with him to meet with the President of Esthar. It was an inside event that meant tabloids wouldn't receive the pictures, but would be officially given the thousand words of the events after it took place.  
Rinoa wasn't sure what she was so excited over, the fact that she, a non-Estharian, gets to actually see and meet the President of Esthar, or the fact that Galbadia and Esthar were finally coming together in peace which meant liberation for Timber a place that held her cherished childhood memories. She knew the biggest excitement she had, had to be that she would finally be spending an entire week with her dad, sure it would be in the same house as the President of Esthar, but still, she would be in the company of her father, her only remaining parent.

Feeling all giddy as she walked into the hallway, she realised now would be the time to tell Quistis that General Caraway was coming to pick her up tomorrow and that they would be spending the entire week at Balamb Villas near the hills just off the beach; her father was renting for some father-daughter bonding. That was of course just half of truth but she couldn't risk letting Quistis know the full story.

"Quisty, to be honest my dad told me last night he's coming down tomorrow" Rinoa said cautiously looking at the blonde for any suspicious reactions.

"Really? Cool you'll finally get to spend some time with him alone."

"Yeah about the alone part. My dad found some Balamb resorts up in the hills advertised on the Internet. I think it's the villas just off the beach were he wants us to stay for the week." She replied carefully repeating the words her father had told her to say.

"Wow. Not many people live up there you know? It's kinda like a gated community just without the physical gate" Quistis said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" was all Rinoa could reply.

"Yeah, well actually, I do know Squall lives around that area. Been to his house only a couple of times when I was younger. After his mum died his dad got busy with work and he and his sister sort of just kept to themselves." Quistis explained sympathetic.

"That's sad." Rinoa replied knowing exactly how Squall would've felt. After her mum died there was a period were her father had shut himself up and concentrated solely on the running of Galbadia. A semi-war had started between father and daughter when Caraway made a rash decision to allow Timber to be occupied by the Galbadian Army. Rinoa didn't like to focus too much on that aspect of her life with her father. Truth was, after one of her many arguments with her father she had ran away and got onto the first train to Timber. Of course her father found out and went to get her, where else would she have ran off to?

* * *

_He had found her sitting on the edge of a cliff looking longingly out onto the plains of Galbadia which could be seen outside the town. The sun was setting in the distant horizon and the last traces of golden light illuminated the young girl's face highlighting the delicate tears that streaked her cheeks. _

"_Rinoa" He addressed her with his calmest and softest voice. "May I take this seat?"_

"_Go for it" She replied without looking at him. Her eyes were still focused on the setting sun and occasionally she'd take a deep sniff and wipe a couple of stray tears that gathered at the corners of her mouth._

"_Here" Caraway handed her a handkerchief. She took the handkerchief and dried her face and looked up at her father. She could see the sides of his hair were already greying and his eyes were swollen._

"_Daddy?" Rinoa asked softly. "You know she's not coming back right?" The young girl chocked out still holding the handkerchief for comfort._

* * *

Rinoa broke away from her reflection and looked up at Quistis. They were sitting in the science lab waiting for the bell to ring before the start of lessons. Her cousin was busy scribbling in her notepad and nodding her head along to something she was listening to on her iPod. She remembered back to what Quistis said last and decided to continue the conversation.

"Hey Quisty" Rinoa poked Quistis with the end of her pen. The blonde removed an ear plug and raised an eyebrow. "What does Squall's dad do? I mean like what's his job?" She continued.

"Oh he's a journalist for some magazine in Timber." Quistis replied and tried getting back to her music.

Rinoa quickly grabbed her hand and continued her inquiry. "So does he like work from home?"

"No he travels back to Timber so Ellone, Squall's sister, normally takes care of them." Quistis replied and looked at her cousin waiting for her to be done with her inquisition.

Rinoa knew how Squall would've felt with a 'working father' who was never really emotionally there, it hurt; it felt like you had lost both parents. She wondered if Squall had a nice father or if he was one of those fathers that kind of expected children to take care of themselves.

"No wonder Squall's so recluse, it must be lonely up there in that house just him and his sister." Rinoa thought sadly going off into another contemplation.

"It's not like he's completely alone" Quistis said amused. "When I said they keep to themselves I meant they don't really go out much and when they do it's always with the same group of people. Squall has been friends with Zell and Seifer since pre-school. Well, okay maybe that's exaggerating but they knew each other when they were really young. Now have you seen Squall with anyone else?" Quistis asked.

"No" She replied back thinking hard.

"That's because Squall is only comfortable around certain people. You'd have to have spent years with Squall in order to be fully accepted by him. He stays with Seifer and Zell because he is comfortable around them, Irvine too but even then he made it into the group in the nick of time" Quistis continued going back to her scribbling.

"Nick of time?" Rinoa repeated confused.

"Yeah, before his mum died Squall wasn't so recluse. He was still silent, but not unapproachable. When his mum died a lot of people gave their condolences and stayed clear of him thinking that he'd want the space. That only made him become recluse and uncomfortable around people he doesn't know." The blonde explained.

"So that's why he doesn't hang out with anyone other than you guys?" Rinoa asked.

"Yeah pretty much, we were the ones who stayed by him, for two weeks Zell, Seifer and Irvine practically moved in with Squall because they feared he'd close up into a shell. Selph and I would see him at school and bug him during lunch times." Quistis said her memory still fresh of the vivid the night she got the call from Selphie explaining Raine's death.

"But how did you know he'd become recluse? Sometimes people need their space, everyone handles death in different ways" Rinoa said remembering how in the first week of her own mother's death she locked herself in her room and refused to speak to anyone but her father. She wouldn't of come out ever if it hadn't been for her uncle and cousins that came and forced her to come out, promising to take her to Timber, to where her mother would take her every summer.

"Well we're his friends so obviously we knew what he'd most likely do." Quistis replied back defensively. Sure Squall didn't feel the same way as she did for him, but Rinoa didn't know just how close they were. Before his mother's death Squall and Quistis were very close, often he and Seifer would get into fights and Quistis was the one to separate them reprimanding them both. Squall would tell her to mind her own business and that he already had one Ellone at home he didn't need another one at school. These pastimes proved to Quistis that Squall did appreciate her friendship and the close bond they had. She didn't exactly appreciate the way Rinoa belittled their actions solely because she had gone through something of the same nature. She remembered her aunt Julia's death and how Rinoa wouldn't come out of her room not even to see Quistis when she came over to console her.

"I didn't meant it like that" Rinoa tried to explain, she realised her comment came across quite patronising, but really she just wanted to figure out how much Squall kept to himself.

"Anyways" Quistis continued "Squall hasn't made a single friend since his mum's death, I guess he's quite content with the people that stuck with him and doesn't need anyone else in his life." Quistis harshly spat back and turned back to her notepad just as the bell rang indicating the first period.

Rinoa turned to look at the teacher now, Quistis's last comment really stung, she knew it was a lame attempt to insult and educate her about Squall's lack of social sills. But was he really so uninviting? _Does it matter? It's not like I can like him anyways right?_ She thought to herself. But there was that feeling that even though she planned to make her own friends and leave Quistis with hers, she would of liked to be friends with Squall.

* * *

The second period bell had gone off and Rinoa was in the middle of her lab experiment. She had paired up with Selphie and the two were assigned to test metals against different liquid chemicals for their assignment. Rinoa had her head down recording the results when she looked up past the glass door to the lab. She could make out Squall's fur collar and watched as he walked into the opposite lab. With both door's to the lab open she watched as he took a seat and folded his arms on the table with his head down. He looked like a mannequin so still and lifeless. He wasn't too far away and she could make out the redness of the scar that ran across his forehead past the bridge of his nose just before his upper cheek. Even with that scar his face looked angelic.

His head shot up at that moment and he looked directly at her. He blinked a couple of times making sure it was Rinoa that was staring at him.

She felt slightly embarrassed that he caught her staring at him, God knows how long he would have thought she'd been looking at him.

_Might as well play the part._ Rinoa thought to herself trying to figure out a way to rid herself from the embarrassment. The last time she caught Squall's eyes he completely ignored her, now he was looking directly at her.

Smiling she held up her index finger in gesture of recognition. This only led to Squall narrowing his eyes head bent and looking over at her in confusion.

"I'll be right back Selphie, cover for me ok?" Rinoa asked the bubbly teen next to her who was busy dropping all sorts of metals into the glass beakers.

"Okey dokes!" Selphie answered back.

Rinoa walked past the remaining tables near the doorway and made her way into the next lab where Squall was sitting. The classroom was occupied by only a handful of students that were still preparing for the expected lesson.

Once she reached Squall she smiled up at him. "You're the grumpiest looking guy here" Rinoa tried to joke. Quistis's comment had really affected her, in a way she wanted to show Quistis that she could easily receive Squall's friendship.

Squall merely looked at her with more confusion before turning his head away. _Crap_ she thought. _That didn't go too well, maybe she was right._ She was about to turn away but decided against it. _Squall, you're going to be my friend if it's the last thing I do._

"Let me guess you'll only be friends with people you like?" Rinoa teased but honestly she felt as if what Quistis said was true. Taking a deep breath and psyching herself up, she took Squall's chin into her right hand and drew circles around his eyes with her left. "Well in that case, you're-going-to-like-me, you're-going-to-like-me."

Squall looked up at her and could see a slight fading of hope burn out in her eyes. He didn't understand why she was all of a sudden giving him this attention or why she thought he didn't like her.

"Did it work?" She asked disheartened.

"I like you Rinoa." Squall's hoarse voice replied back and Rinoa could make out the slightest upturn of the corners of his mouth.

Rinoa's smile however was a lot bigger than that, she grinned at the brunette with a thousand watt smile and giggled in reply, "Good, I like you too."

"You know what I'd like?" A voice from behind boomed at Rinoa. The scared girl turned quickly locating the voice to a very annoyed teacher. "If you'd return to your lesson and let me get on with mine!"

Rinoa looked around, and sure enough the classroom that was moderately empty before was filled with students that just sat staring at the two youths in their cheerful banter.

"Sorry" Rinoa attempted weakly and scurried off back into her own lab.

Squall watched the girl go with an amused smile, somehow whenever she was around he felt lighter, he felt happiness surround him. He felt how he felt when his mother was still alive.

* * *

The bell rang and Squall hurriedly gathered his belongings hoping to walk alongside Zell to the Cafeteria for break and then his next lesson. Really he wanted to wait outside the other lab to see Rinoa again; it was his secret way of thanking her for making him laugh and brightening up his day.

Just as he swung his backpack over his shoulder Professor Hojo called out to him. Cursing in his head he made his way to the grouch sitting on his stool in front of the white board with pen poised in midair.

"Yes sir?" Squall asked in monotone.

"Ah yes, I wanted to talk to you about a Science research project that is to take place this term. It will mainly focus on wild species and endangered species and will take place in The Deep Sea Research Centre just off Centra." Prof. Hojo explained.

"Okay." Squall acknowledged still not sure what the man was asking of him.

"I was thinking you'd be a good candidate to send and I think it will look very good on your University application, not many people get the chance to study alongside such great scientists." The professor continued.

"Yeah sure I don't mind" Squall said impatiently wanting to just get out before the other group left their lab.

"Good I was hoping for such and answer" The professor replied back, Squall was about to head off when the man spoke again.

"Say Squall what are you planning to study? Er, where are you planning to study exactly?" The man replied scribbling Squall's name on a notepad and handing it over for him to sign.

"I'm not sure, my dad wants to me go into Politics but I don't know what I want to do or where I want to do it." Squall replied truthfully. He knew it was his last year at school and he should have already thought about what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. On a humorous side he'd joke with Ellone, when he'd have this conversation, that he'd end up working for a video game magazine and write reviews. Ellone would just tease him and call him a bum and then go onto the lecture him about how it's 'important to solidify one's education and make something of yourself to help out the community'.

"Well I'd think fast you should already have some ideas of where you'd like to study. If you find me at lunch time I'll hand you some university prospectuses, although it is mainly for studying science." The professor offered.

"Sure." Squall muttered and handed the notepad back with a wave and left the lab.

Making his way to the other lab all he found were the two technicians clearing up the left over equipment from the experiment.

Hurriedly he made his way down to the Cafeteria; he knew Zell would've dragged the gang there to get a hot dog. Once in the Cafeteria he could make out Zell's fidgeting body hopping in the long lunch queue. Squall walked up to the blond and lightly touched his arm to which Zell turned and smiled.

"Sup? You completed all your Bio homework? That woman sets us some hard questions!" Zell complained still looking and the antagonising queue of students.

"Yeah it was simple." was Squall's short reply. Wanting not to lead Zell to any thoughts Squall coolly asked, "So where are Selphie and the others?"

"Waiting in the back." Zell motioned with his head to a far off table at the back of the Cafeteria. Squall could make out Selphie's equally energetic body hopping in front of Irvine and some other students he couldn't recognise from his point of view.

"Safe, I'll see you there." Squall answered and made his way towards the group.

Scanning his group of friends he realised Rinoa was not among them. Feeling a bit upset he wanted to go look for her but had already made his presence aware to the people in front of him.

He'd have to make an excuse if he wanted to go look for her. _Why am I in such a rush to see her anyways?_ Squall thought to himself.

"What's up?" Seifer asked turning to Squall who sat next to him.

Squall merely shook his head and put his hand on his forehead ignoring the volume of noise that came from the other students.

"You just got in now?" Squall asked still looking at the floor.

"Yeah doctor's appointment, had to show them that knee injury from Blitzball, I swear that coach is crazy I should sue him for assault." Seifer complained rubbing his knee.

"It was an accident; he thought you were man enough to actually catch the ball." Squall mocked twirling his ring around his finger.

Quistis looked over at Squall, she saw he looked slightly sad and thought to herself if she should ask if he was alright. _Maybe I should just wait for Rinoa to ask him._ She thought bitterly to herself. She had watched as Rinoa walked out of the lab during their Chemistry lesson and walk up to Squall. The two were smiling at something she said before the teacher scolded her to return to her own lab. Quistis didn't like that; she felt Rinoa was challenging her in some way. To be honest she had only commented on Squall's unnecessary need of new friends because she felt Rinoa was trying to teach her something about her own friends. Rinoa had only been here for just over a month and already she was analysing her friends and Quistis's lifestyle.

Deciding she gave Squall too much of her time already she turned her attention back to Seifer and poked his stomach. "Bouncy castle, bouncy castle" she teased.

Seifer laughed and looked at Quistis confused. She had never given him this kind of attention and he desperately wanted more of it if not the need to know where it had come from.

"What was that about?" He laughed and moved her hand away.

"You need to stop eating so much, you're getting a fat stomach" Quistis replied cutely and poked her tongue out.

"Hey I like my fat stomach" Seifer joked back and the two continued giggling.

Squall was looking at the table in front of him and smiled at the two blondes sitting next to him flirting. He was shocked at Quistis's forward behaviour with Seifer and hoped it was something that would finally seal he two together.

* * *

The rest of the school day went by and Squall and Seifer made their way to the Science Lab so Seifer could sign up for the Deep Sea Research Project Squall and had told him about. The two thought it would be something good for Seifer considering he was going to be heading off from Centra after the year was over and study at Centra University while working alongside his father.

The two boys walked into the lab only to be once again behind a huge queue of students waiting to sign up. Professor Kefka was at the front of the lab trying to get everyone's attention.

"Students! Please!" The professor shouted and finally the budding students quietened down. "Right, the trip can take only up to 70 students, we already have 20 students we thought would benefit from this trip due to career reasons. Although this trip is open to all years those who are in their final year of study will of course have priority". The professor just about finished when a wave of moans and some curses came from lower class men.

Squall scanned the class room as he made his way to the back deciding to wait for Seifer somewhere where he wasn't being shoved around. That's when she saw Rinoa signing her name onto one of the notepads and handing it back to the professor before making her way towards the door. She spotted Squall and made her way towards him.

"Hey friend" Rinoa joked.

"Hi" Squall replied shyly and averted his eyes looking over at Seifer who was giving a demon glare at the blonde girl in front of him talking away noisily into her phone and constantly flipping her hair back which was smacking against Seifer's face.

Deciding he'd had enough he grabbed her phone and threw it to the side of the class. The girl turned to swear at the idiot who had just abruptly ended her conversation only to hold her breath at the huge figure towering over her before running off to find her phone and leave the class room.

"You're not signing up for the project?" Rinoa asked breaking Squall's short tangent.

"Yeah, my professor already signed me up" Squall replied.

"Cool, I guess we'll be spending more time together then huh?" Rinoa smiled her thousand watt smile again. He liked that smile of hers, it was warm and welcoming and made her eyes twinkle.

Before he could reply a buzzing noise came from her bag and she quickly pulled out her phone. Reading a text she looked up at Squall with an apologetic smile.

"I gotta go, I'll see ya later." Rinoa quickly said and hurried off

Squall watched again as she disappeared for the second time, he wished there were some way he could spend some more time with her. He wished today were a Tuesday as that was the day they were in all their lessons together. Realising it just wasn't written for him he impatiently waited for Seifer to reach the end of the line so he could go home and prepare for the next day's big event.

_

* * *

_

FRIDAY EVENING

"Rinoa!" Quistis called from the bottom of the stairs. She could make out the other girl running from her room down the hallway and finally reach the steps.

"Your dad is here, he's waiting in the living room" Quistis said to the girl waiting at the top of the stairs with her toothbrush still in her mouth.

Rinoa muttered something inaudible and went into the toilet while Quistis went into the lounge to keep her uncle company.

"So Quistis, your father tells me you've decided to take French this year?" Caraway asked the blonde.

Quistis smiled and pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. "Oui" She replied testing out her French. She had only taken it to make her father happy as he was constantly complaining how his one and only child did not speak the same language as him, a language that in his opinion was the essence of beauty. Truth was Quistis didn't really care much about beauty of language; she'd speak in HTML code if she could, that was her speciality.

"Qu'est-ce que tu penses du francais?" Caraway asked back in French

"C'est defiant mais je admire la beaute de la langue." Quistis replied acknowledging her father who couldn't look more proud.

"Chaque francais, devrait savoir le francaise langue, c'est une langue magnifique." Jacques said excited at her interest in her heritage.

Rinoa came down at that moment and took her father into a big bear hug. She was really excited about tonight, the plan was to tell Quistis and the family they were having a father-daughter dinner at a nice restaurant in the town. Really it was finally the Friday Caraway had been anticipating. Today he was to meet the President of Esthar and his family and further talk about matters of both their countries.

Rinoa was excited too, she had never been to any of her father's functions, mostly because they seemed boring. This time however, it was a different matter, this was exciting and mysterious.

She decided to wear a gold knee length halter dress with some foundation on her face and small amount of kohl to accent her eyes. She didn't want to be too overboard and decided to go the elegant way of looking plain but pleasing.

Saying their farewells Caraway took Rinoa's weekend bags and put them into the boot of his black Lexus. Father and daughter got into the car and made their way towards the address that was faxed to General Caraway a week ago.

The drive was short and the two talked about the importance of the meeting and what it meant for both countries. Rinoa was informed that the President had two children although the ages Caraway wasn't certain of.

"They're bound to be pre-teens, rumour has it the man became President at a very young age. I hope he doesn't think too old of me?" Caraway chuckled.

They arrived at the large detached house surrounded by birch trees and a neatly cut lawn. The two got out of the car and walked towards the house and rang on the doorbell waiting for an answer.

The door opened revealing a tall man roughly around his forties though he could easily pass for late thirties. His hair was pushed back into a loose ponytail, he wore a clean crisp blue shirt and long dark pants. He held his hand out to the General with a broad smile and welcomed the two into his home.

For some reason the man looked very familiar to Rinoa, she knew she hadn't seen him before but the general look of his face was similar to someone she knew and she had a hard time placing it.

* * *

Ellone ran into Squall's room just as he was doing the last button on his black shirt.

"They're here!" Ellone cried in a whisper. Squall just smirked and followed his sister down the stairs.

The guests had moved into the lounge as he could hear the voices of his father and another grown man talking away about how nice it was to finally meet each other. Squall entered as the man was shaking Ellone's hand and muttering sweet greetings. The man was a tall broad man evidence of him being in the army at some point. He wore a black Italian suit with pinstripes and a silk handkerchief fixed into his jacket pocket.

That's when Squall noticed another figure behind bent slightly looking into the showcase that adorned their lounge. Squall could see she was looking at the picture of his late mother. It was an old picture before Squall was even born; it was the night his father proposed to his mother in a field in Winhill where they had met. His mother was smiling, a beam of a thousand watt smile, she looked so happy in the picture.

"Ahh and this is my son." Laguna started to introduce Squall to the General. The General shook his hand and nodded just as Squall was about to introduce himself. The General however turned slightly to get the attention of the young woman behind him.

"Dear, there are people here to meet you." He informed the other guest.

"Sorry" she muttered slowly still engrossed in the picture of the beautiful woman.

"Squall sir, nice to meet you." Squall replied to the General sincerely pleased to meet him.

"SQUALL!" Came a high pitched cry. Squall looked over to the other guest only to see Rinoa's thousand watt smile for the third time.

For once that week Squall dared to return it.

* * *

They had a few beverages before dinner, the two men questioning Squall and Rinoa on how they knew each other and if they had the same circle of friends. Once the interest of the two teens died Ellone announced dinner was ready and the five of them sat round the oak dining table. Rinoa was pleased to see a mouth-watering roasted leg of lamb, roast potatoes, steamed vegetables, and other complimentary dishes.

"We thought we'd make a family meal, it's a lot more personal than just serving fish eggs." Ellone humorously explained as Rinoa scanned the table.

"It looks delicious" Rinoa complimented.

The group sat at the table talking about the children's school, Ellone's final year at Balamb and general conversations. Rinoa had learned that prior to Laguna working for Timber Maniacs, the magazine Quistis was talking about, he was in the Galbadian Army. He no longer worked for the magazine company but used it as a decoy from people finding out where he really worked and who he really was.

Squall stayed silent most of the meal and only engaged in conversation when prompted by either his father or the General.

Once dinner was done the two men retired to Laguna's study while Rinoa helped Squall and Ellone clear the table. Neither of the latter allowed Rinoa to help wash or dry the dishes so she remained sitting on a stool keeping the conversation of school going.

At one point Squall excused himself and went upstairs.

"Yeah so I think after I'm done with my Lit degree I'm going to travel like my dad and see if I can write about my experiences." Ellone was saying.

"That'd be cool, I wouldn't mind reading about your travels." Rinoa replied genuinely interested in Ellone's future, she would've liked to take the same path and mentally noted it down.

Rinoa watched Ellone as she wiped up the remaining of the dishes. She wasn't as tall as Squall or Laguna, she was just a bit taller than Rinoa and had short brown hair. Her face was round and was more emphasised by the brown bob cut that hug around her face. Her cute button nose and her dimple made her even more adorable and Rinoa couldn't help but smile at the young woman.

"What?" Ellone asked looking up.

"Oh sorry, I have a staring problem. You're really pretty you know!" She said laughing feeling slightly embarrassed by her rude stare.

"So are you, my brother couldn't keep his eyes of you all evening." Ellone joked raising her left eyebrow.

"What?" Rinoa asked shocked. She couldn't believe Squall would be staring at her all evening; she hadn't really paid much attention when there were all these gorgeous helpings of food in front of her. _Could he really have been staring at me?_

"Its true, I've never seen him even look at another girl before, come to think of it, apart from Quistis and Selphie he doesn't really converse with any other girls." Ellone elaborated.

_So it is true. _Rinoa thought, what Quistis said about Squall not making many friends had been true. But then again Squall had confirmed that Rinoa was his friend. She decided to ignore Quistis's words for the evening and concentrate on the girl in front of her.

"You know, you don't look anything like Squall or Mr. Loire. Haha in fact you look more like Rachel Leigh Cook." Rinoa commented finally pinpointing Ellone's exact replica.

Ellone softly smiled and wrapped the dish cloth in her hands. "Oh that's because I'm adopted." She answered sweetly and winked.

"Oh I'm sorry" Rinoa quickly replied feeling stupid and guilty.

"It's no problem, I was really happy with Raine as my mum and I'm still happy to be a part of Laguna and Squall's family." Ellone smiled sincerely happy, she wouldn't have changed her life for anything different, as far as she was concerned Raine and Laguna were her real parents, they brought her up, took care of her and treated her with love and kindness that was the job of a mother and father.

Rinoa only just realised how much her bladder was aching from needing to go to the toilet. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" She asked.

"Sure, it's upstairs on the first floor, down the hall and on the left." Ellone explained and Rinoa soon made her way to the toilet.

Following the raven haired girl Ellone walked upstairs and went in to check on Squall.

She found him lying on his bed one leg crossed over another, one arm underneath his head reading his current novel.

"There you are" Ellone said and sat on Squall's computer swivel chair. Squall's room wasn't anything like a normal teenage boy's room. The walls were painted blood red with only one single poster hanging just above his bed. A lion Squall called Griever - the fiercest lion ever existed. His bed was adjacent to his door in the middle of his room with the window at the other end. Opposite the window near the door was his desk with his school books neatly laid in two piles. At the far end of the room opposite the end of his bed was a double door wardrobe and a chest of draws. Everything was neatly packed away making the room look very spacious.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked putting his book down and slightly getting up to a leaning position against the headrest of his bed.

"In the bathroom. So?" Ellone teased.

"So? What?" Squall asked trying not to follow his sister's lead in where this conversation was heading.

"You keep staring at her." Ellone matter-of-factly stated.

"I don't" Squall replied back rolling his eyes.

"Yeah you do. It's her isn't it? The girl Dad said you kept chanting about, she's Quistis's cousin isn't she?." Ellone gleefully reminded him.

Squall was smooth at talking his way out of things; many times he'd be able to fool people from believing all sorts of things about himself and his family. But if one thing was for certain Squall could at this moment not hide the embarrassment he now felt remembering his behaviour the night he first met Rinoa.

* * *

Rinoa walked out of the bathroom closing her handbag after having touched up her makeup and smoothed down her hair. She was about to make her way across the hallway and downstairs when she heard voices coming from the room next to the toilet. The door was slightly ajar and she could hear Ellone and Squall talking in a little more than a whisper. She knew she shouldn't listen but she'd never really heard Squall talk much at school and when he did it was always one sentences. She promised herself she'd hear a bit if it was something boring and then walk in pretending she'd only just gotten out of the bathroom.

"So exactly what is it that's different about her?" Ellone asked.

"I don't know, she's different from other girls. She's smart and… don't laugh?" Squall asked Ellone.

Ellone held her hand out as good gesture. "Promise".

"She's really pretty, no she is beautiful." Squall's voice replied back.

_Who is?_ Rinoa couldn't help but listen more, if the Squall she knew liked someone she wanted to know who it was.

"Quistis is smart and beautiful." Ellone stated.

_So he does like her._ For some reason Rinoa felt a heave of emotions, she knew all along since the day she made that promise that nothing between her and Squall would ever happen. But this new revelation confirmed that promise, all this time she thought there was some hope that maybe Squall would be interested in someone else. Deep down she wanted a hint that he would have liked her. She really wanted Squall, it wasn't a feeling of envy where she wanted something that belonged to someone else. It was her realisation that since meeting Squall she actually wanted him to like her as much as she grew to liking him.

"I know, _she_ is pretty and smart but there's just something different about _her._" Squall tried explaining.

"How?" Ellone asked wanting more hoping her brother was serious about this girl. She knew he was, if Squall ever liked a girl, he would go the whole nine yards.

Rinoa stood silently listening very disheartened. She knew she had no right feeling this way since she made that promise to Quistis, since she promised Quistis she would set her up with Squall if it was the last thing she did. But she knew it wasn't Venus envy she was feeling now, she genuinely liked Squall. When they went to the movies she was happy Squall noticed her, she wished she had dressed up like Quistis and was Squall's date for the night. She wished the jokes she shared with Seifer were shared with Squall instead and that she meant more to him than a friend.

"I can't explain it Sis. I just feel like she can see through me, like she knows me the most out of everyone. She reminds me of mum as well." Squall confided.

"Mum? Are you sure you don't like her in some other kind of way?" Ellone asked concerned.

"No, not like that!" Squall replied exasperated. "Like I feel whole when she's around, I feel safe and complete, how mum used to make me feel." Squall replied toying with the Griever accessory that was hanging on his phone.

"Wow. Squall you're really serious about her aren't you?" Ellone asked.

Rinoa couldn't hear Squall's reply but guessed he probably nodded in confirmation.

"I've never felt like this before. I know it's really cliché when people say things like that, but it's true. The day I first saw her I knew there was something about her, when she smiles at me its literally like some force of happiness and euphoria are pushed into my chest and it feels heavy and hard to breathe. When she talks to me, I feel ecstatic by her acknowledging me. When she looks at me it's like she's looking into me rather than the at my appearance. And now I can't stop thinking about her." Squall's soft voice replied still with the hint of shyness that lingered.

"Does she like you back?" Ellone asked trying to hide her huge grin.

Deciding she'd heard enough, and rather not hear the dreaded reply, Rinoa raised her hand towards the bathroom door to pretend to of only just come out slamming the door behind her. She stopped however when she heard Squall's answer.

"I think she likes Seifer." Squall replied displeased. _Huh?_ Rinoa was confused, _Why would he think Quistis liked Seifer? It's so obvious she's totally into him. She practically throws herself at him, what would make him think she liked Seifer?_

"But Seifer doesn't like her?" Ellone completed Squall's story like completing a puzzle to a very bizarre love triangle.

"No, Seifer is still hooked up on Quistis though he denies now." Squall replied rolling his eyes.

Rinoa was now completely confused. _Who are they talking about?_ She was now slightly less disheartened than before, if Quistis wasn't the one Squall liked than the promise wasn't so binding now, though it still didn't take away the fact that she felt something strong towards him.

"Well I don't see a problem, I know I'm like only three years older than you lot but you guys are really long winded. You tell her you like her, Seifer tells Quistis he likes her and done, either they both say yes or they both say no. What is the point of being so gloomy over something you don't know the answer for?" Ellone ranted now slightly bored of the teen angst that occupied her time.

"No way, I can't tell her." Squall quickly replied in disbelief.

"Why not? What is the worst she can say?" Ellone replied trying to sound convincing.

"Oh yeah Sis, I can really see it, 'Hi Rinoa, sorry to bother you, but I really like you and can't stop thinking about you', yeah great plan" Squall retorted with a mock thumbs up.

Behind the ajar door stood Rinoa in complete shock and excitement. She didn't know what to do or say or even think. Could she really have heard it right? Could Squall really have liked her all along? What would this mean for Quistis? What about the promise she made? All these questions filled her mind but one thing kept coming back. She felt an wave of tranquillity just hearing him say he thought about her, that he liked her. She wanted to be liked by him, she wanted to share those jokes with him and she smiled at the recognition that she reminded him of someone he was safe with and found comfort.

Rinoa's train of thought was cut short by a very loud message sound. Cursing at herself she opened her handbag to stop the sound but she was already sure the two she was spying on had heard.

* * *

Squall and Ellone both looked at each other confused and shocked at Rinoa's presence. Squall was immediately filled with embarrassment and a hint of betrayal and annoyance that the raven haired girl would listen in on their conversation.

Brother and sister made their way outside the room to find Rinoa with her head down staring at her phone. Her mouth was slightly ajar and her eyes were focused inwards her eyebrows forming a creased frown.

_She invaded my privacy, I'll guess I'll return the favour._ Squall thought and gently took the phone off Rinoa's hand. The girl only looked at him hurt in her eyes and a flush of red, it was obviously something embarrassing.

Squall looked down at Rinoa's phone now in his hand; an email was forwarded from Selphie.

**_Selphie: Babez saw this posted on the forums, thought I should show you, was wondering if it was true? Ignore the comments, people can be such retards! I'll get Sarah to remove it immediately._**

At the bottom of the message was an image on the school website of Rinoa and Seifer under the birch tree Squall had seen them under a few weeks ago. Seifer's mouth was close to Rinoa's face, the girl's eyes wide open looking straight at him, his hand on her chin. If Squall hadn't already known the truth behind the picture he would've believed the text written underneath the picture.

**_King and Queen of BH need a room as they make their relationship exclusive._**

_**Comments**:_

**_2hot2btru wrote:_**_Skank! I saw her chattin up Squall yesterday._

**-**_**Narutofan**: LOL, she gets around_

**_PuPuPrince wrote: _**_Woteva she seems like a nice girl, im sure she's just friends wiv Squall._

- _**U1tim4_W34p0n:** Yeah 'friends', I don't mind being her 'friend' myself, ;)_

- _**PupuPrince**: Shut up u retard_

- _**2hot2btru:** dnt b tellin him to shut up, u troll…._

Rinoa's was shaking from the anger that was building up inside her, she hated rumours more than anything. People invented rumours about her mother when she was alive in these scenarios and now the same was being done to her. She knew she needed something to calm her, whenever she bottled up anger it would stress her out and lead to her having constant migraines, something she developed after her mother passed away. But the image was still displayed on her phone and she couldn't think of anything that could calm her.

Squall could see the messages were really affecting her; she was literally shaking and gritting her teeth. He looked over to Ellone who smiled sympathetically and nodded her head.

Taking her hand, Rinoa looked up to Squall; he moved her closer to his body and held her shaking figure in a hug. Soon the shaking stopped and she could only feel the calmness of his heartbeat against her own.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Yay another chapter done and this one was looooong i know. I may not post next week because I've only written up to chapter 11 right now and i like the freedom of editing my scenes. If i post and then change my mind about an idea that'd suck because you'd have to go back and read the new chapter and thats just loooong!  
Now some of you may think my Squall is a bit OOC, but he's not. Think of it this way, he's now at the end of disk 2 where he's starting to become very fond of her.

Anyways please review i do appreciate it, seriously i do *nods head*

**

* * *

**

Teaser:

Sarah saw the group of girls sitting leaned against the wall opposite the couch, she could make out the tallest girl among the group, her shiny dirty blond hair curled loosely falling onto her bare shoulders. She wore a hot pink tank top and dark blue cut off jeans, her feet were adorned in knee-high brown leather cowboy boots.

Sarah made her way towards the group, she wanted to wait for Selphie but figured she could always call on the girl if she saw her walk past; Selphie was bound to be here somewhere.

She reached the group and bent down to face them. Lauren noticed her first as Sarah had moved her head quite close to the blonde's looking at her straight in the eye and raising her left eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes Sarah may I help you?" Lauren asked laughing lightly in mockery.


	9. Bathroom Blunders

**Well I'm done with Uni now so i did have time to update this week. This chapter is done in short scenes rather than the lengthly ones i had previously, especially the ending of this chapter.**

**Anyways I hope everyone likes this chapter, I know I got a lot of OCs in this, thats only because FFVIII really had a limited set of side characters that you can expand on, and most of the side characters are male, and the only female ones have really weird names like Card Queen, Ultimecia or even Pub Lady... yeah so I had to include my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Bathroom Blunders**

The next day Squall woke up early to a dimly lit room. The sunlight was trying to seep in from the open creases of his curtain allowing light to fall on certain places on the soft blue carpeted floor.

He got up and hurriedly got into a clean white t-shirt and his black tracksuit bottoms. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen hoping to find Rinoa there.

His wish came true as he saw the beauty sitting on the breakfast counter happily munching on a great big bowl of chocolate flavoured hoops. She looked up and noticed Squall enter the room and waved at him while chewing the huge mouthful before making its way down her throat.

Squall nodded in her direction and walked to the coffee pot with his back to her. Here, he safely let a smile creep up to his face. She looked innocent and childlike at breakfast, one wouldn't say she had bad table manners, but at the same time she wasn't exactly lady like. Squall however, didn't care, he liked it when people enjoyed their food rather than picking and prodding at it as if he was some kind of monster that was playing dead ready to attack.

He sat down with his coffee mug and an empty plate, taking a slice of toast he spread butter to it and then applied a thinner layer of raspberry jam.

The two sat silently eating neither wanting to talk about the incident that took place last night. Squall was unsure of whether she had actually heard anything and if she did just how much?

Rinoa didn't want to talk about it either; the moment was spoiled when she had received that message with the awful comments. She also didn't want to talk about it because of the guilt that was growing the more she thought about it. Every time she remembered Squall's words an image of Quistis would pop into her head. The entire night she spent tossing and turning, once worried about the message then worried about Quistis. _Well Quistis won't get hurt if I don't do anything about this. Squall _likes_ me, that is all._ She thought to herself but at the same time felt remorse for herself. She was confused, she didn't want to upset Quistis but she also didn't want to sacrifice something she saw potential in. _You promised her. He __**likes **__you, it's not like he's in __**love**__ with you. _She thought again and slowly answered herself. _He could love me in time. _

She had stopped eating now and was in deep contemplation. _And if he doesn't, you'll lose your flesh and blood over a boy that didn't even love you._

Squall looked over at the Rinoa sitting deep in her thoughts, he assumed she was thinking about the message she received. He wanted to ask her if she had heard what he said yesterday. _She hasn't mentioned anything. Maybe she got out of the bathroom just as her phone went off. So maybe she didn't hear anything._

He was about to break Rinoa out of her trance and ask if she were ok but the simultaneous ringing of both their phones beat him to it.

Squall took his phone out of his trouser pocket and Rinoa reached over to hers sitting on the breakfast bar.

**_PARRRRRRRTTTAY! My house, 2nyt, bring food, 9pm! - Selphie._**

"Selphie?" Rinoa asked Squall as he looked up to ask her the same question.

"Yeah." Squall replied. Rinoa remembered Quistis saying Squall didn't go out much and never to crowded places. She figured he wouldn't go to this one, which she was fine with. In fact she was never allowed to go to these parties back in Deling, her father always lectured her on the activities that went on and Rinoa was more than happy to stay at home on Friday nights watching a pre-leased films on DVDs and munching on pizza.

She was happy Squall wouldn't go as it meant spending more time with him at his house.

"We can go together if you want" Squall asked. Rinoa looked at him in surprise. She opened her mouth to ask why he was going and immediately stopped herself. _He'll think you talk about him behind his back. _

Squall waited for her reply, she looked directly at him and smiled nodding her head and saying she'd like that.

To be honest he didn't want to go, he hated going to parties with people he barely knew, all drinking and acting like animals. But Rinoa was going and he wanted to be around her, he didn't like the idea of being home alone knowing she would probably be enjoying herself with someone else and having the time of her life without him.

* * *

Rinoa sat across from Squall on the brown shag rug in the living room eating her sandwich. Squall sat leaning against the backrest of the couch, one leg propped up while the other rested his plate. It had gone past lunchtime and the two were eating silently with Rinoa occasionally asking Squall questions about Esthar and offering her own experiences in Galbadia.

She looked up at him, he was silently chewing with his eyes fixated on the round plate on his lap. He wasn't the best of talkers but she liked that about him. Most guys would probably sit there going on about how they were God's gift to mankind and repeat all their achievements and goals in life. Squall was different, he wasn't so self-involved yet at the same time she wished he would take the initiative to start the conversation. With Squall she felt she had to literally bottle feed him social skills.

"So you thinking of going to Esthar for the holidays? I mean winter break's coming up soon, you got any plans?" She asked hoping he'd at least offer more than a sentence answer.

"Not sure." He replied.

She smiled at him and his lack of participation. When she first met him she thought he didn't like her which was why he remained silent around her. But after hearing his confession last night she thought maybe he was shy around her. Her thoughts went back to last night and how he revealed his feelings to Ellone, she wondered whether it was the right time to mention it. She wanted to tell that she felt the same way and was happy to hear that he couldn't stop thinking about her. _I'll scare him off if I tell him I'm falling in love…. _

Rinoa giggled at the thought a smirk across her face.

"What's so funny?" Squall asked looking at her curiously as if she was crazy.

Her face became beetroot red, she couldn't believe she had messed up in front of him smiling like an idiot. Not to mention the mere thought of her true feelings for him was sending her on cloud nine, just being around him knowing he felt strongly towards her if not the same.

"Oh its nothing, I just remembered something funny back in Deling." She quickly tried to recover.

He wanted to know more about her life in Deling, so far she had told him of why she moved to Balamb which he pretty much figured out seeing as he was in the same situation. She told him about how her mother had died in a car crash when she was twelve, she told him about her house and the friends she had in Deling High before she was home-schooled and then sent to Balamb. He wanted to ask her more questions but felt shy and unlike himself to approach her.

His thoughts were pretty much clouded, he kept thinking back to last night wondering if she had heard anything. He considered asking her but that either meant that if she hadn't she'd ask why and then go on for a day pestering him about what she should have heard. And if she did overhear his conversation with Ellone, then why didn't she bring it up? The latter held more weight, he didn't want to think of the consequences of her not feeling the same way for him.

She took a deep breath. _You can do this Rinoa._ She was ready to talk about it now, she knew she had to tell him.

"…" _Quistis._ She frowned. She forgot about Quistis for that instance. Could she really confess her feelings to Squall knowing Quistis probably still had feelings for him. What would Quistis do or say if she found out about Squall's feelings? What would Squall say if he knew she felt this way but couldn't act upon it. And the truth was, she knew she couldn't. She made a promise to Quistis, she knew she shouldn't have, but until she spoke to Quistis and confessed her true feelings she wouldn't be able to act upon on them.

Yet she wondered if she should at least let Squall know that she heard what he said and it made her happy? _I could do that, maybe I can explain the situation with Quistis? No, that's not good at all. Maybe I wont have to tell him about the promise. I'll just tell him until Quistis is over him I cant do anything. But we can be friends. No. We're already friends, and I don't just want to be friends._

Squall looked at Rinoa from under his lashes, pretending to play with the rim of his plate. Her forehead was frowned, she was obviously thinking of something, _Maybe the message._ He wanted to ask her if she was okay but felt unlike himself again. _Why am I such a child? I hugged her yesterday, this should be easy. I need to know if she heard, and if she did, just how much?_

They both looked up at each other and their eyes locked. A vibration in Rinoa's pocket went off and she took it out to see a message from Quistis asking if she were going to Selphie's party. Taking it as a sign, she deterred from talking to Squall before talking to Quistis. She started tapping away her reply both with a feeling of dissatisfaction and betrayal.

Squall walked into the kitchen and up to the skin, he turned on the cold water and started cleaning up his dish slowly letting the foam run around the plate as the water spilled onto it. Rinoa followed him and set her plate on the draining board watching Squall's movements carefully. She noticed the ring on his middle finger, a silver band of platinum with some sort of carving around it.

"What kind of a ring is that?" She asked moving her head forward to get a better look.

"It's a lion." Squall said turning the tap off and grabbing a paper towel. He wiped his hands and chucked the towel in the bin.

Rinoa had moved onto washing her plate. He spun the ring around his finger contemplating whether he should continue explaining the ring.

She finished washing her dish and repeated the same actions as Squall. She turned to face him staring at her.

"Brave." He blurted out and immediately mentally kicked himself.

"What?" She asked amused.

"It's supposed to represent bravery and pride." He said taking the ring off and offering it to her. "Its Griever, a lion of great strength and pride."

She happily accepted the ring taking a closer inspection and feeling the coolness of the metal against her fingertips. "Kinda like you huh? More the strength than the pride." She smiled at him.

"Not sure about that." He replied modestly.

She handed him back the ring happy that at least he had offered some information about his personal life.

* * *

"And Squall will stay with you the whole time?" Caraway asked.

"Yeah, we're going together and we hang with the same people, so he'll have my back." Rinoa answered.

"Excuse me? He'll have what? I do not understand slang." Caraway replied never entertaining his daughter when she picked up the local languages she'd hear at school.

"I mean he will protect me, shell me in a little ball so I am not harmed or bothered." Rinoa reiterated smiling and taking her father into a hug.

"I tried to teach you so many languages when you were young which you defied to learn, the least you could do is speak English properly."

"Oac Tyt, E ys cunno, E muja oui." Rinoa replied winking. (Yes Dad, I am sorry, I love you.)

"Hu bnupmas, E muja oui duu." Caraway replied and kissed her on top of her forehead. (No problem, I love you too.)

Squall watched with a secret smirk on his face, Rinoa was very childlike around her father; innocent and sweet. He found it adorable that she wasn't a spoilt army brat intent on sabotaging her family's reputation because she didn't get to go out with her friends; rather here she was seeking her father's permission.

"Squall I put her in your trust, I am hoping you will bring her back safely?" Caraway asked in a serious tone.

"Of course Sir" Squall replied with great sincerity and conviction.

"Cool, let's go." Rinoa exclaimed grabbing her jacket and marching up to Squall waiting for him to make the first move towards the front door.

"Squall remember not to take too long, me and General will be back from Esthar by midnight hopefully, and you both will need to get an early night to be ready for tomorrow." Laguna called out as the two were making their way towards the exit.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Rinoa asked at the front door stopping abruptly causing Squall to bump into her.

"Well dear I thought you and I could go and spend some time together, check out the town, I'll even take you to that movie you wanted to see." Caraway offered cheerfully.

"Aww Dad, that movie I wanted to see, I saw… last month" Rinoa giggled walking towards her father and planting a small kiss on his cheek for his kindness.

"Oh well, see I'm not always up to date with these teen flicks. Tell you what, if there is anything else on you like I'll take you to see that. How does that sound?" Caraway tried again.

"Deal" Rinoa agreed and made her way back to Squall. "So are you guys coming with us?"

Squall looked away from her and stared at the open door. He didn't want to let her in on where he was going, not just yet. Sensing this Laguna spoke up.

"Er, Squall and I have some business to attend to tomorrow, but we'll be back in time for dinner, maybe we can all go down to the pier, I know a chief that does a mean grilled Balamb fish or there's a nice little Trabian Restaurant that does an excellent curry."

"Alright!" Rinoa cheered raising her hand for Squall to high-five. Squall merely looked at it, slightly blushing out of embarrassment in front of their parents and continued to look out into nothing.

Not wanting to let it get to her, Rinoa picked up his hand, Squall gasped slightly as her flesh made direct contact. She raised his hand to hers and clapped onto it before releasing it letting his hand fall to his side. She giggled and walked out leaving him to watch after her.

Laguna laughed to himself, Rinoa was one character, the girl was so bubbly and forward unlike his son. She would be a good match for Squall; she'd be able to break him. Already Squall was making his way to a party, something he'd never in his life do before Rinoa came into the picture. Laguna only hoped that Rinoa would be someone Squall could open up to, someone he could smile for again, how he used to be when Raine was alive.

* * *

The living room was pounding with loud music and students conversing loudly. Teenagers were sprawled across the chairs and couches, some even sitting on coffee tables. A couple of boys and girls were in one corner dancing along to the music, cups in hand occasionally sipping and talking while moving to the flow.

Sarah saw the group of girls sitting leaned against the wall opposite the couch, she could make out the tallest girl among the group, her shiny dirty blonde hair curled loosely falling onto her bare shoulders. She wore a hot pink tank top and dark blue cut off jeans, her feet were adorned in knee-high brown leather cowboy boots.

Sarah made her way towards the group, she wanted to wait for Selphie but figured she could always call on the girl if she saw her walk past; Selphie was bound to be here somewhere.

She reached the group and bent down to face them. Lauren noticed her first as Sarah had moved her head quite close to the blonde's looking at her straight in the eye and raising her left eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes Sarah may I help you?" Lauren asked laughing lightly in mockery.

"Yes Lauren you may, you can start by adhering to the rules of the forum and stop posting such profanity." Sarah started straight away.

Lauren rolled her eyes at the brown haired girl. "Oh gosh Sarah get over it, no one cares about your lame school website."

"Oh really? But I guess you do since you sign in like eight times a day" Sarah countered back.

"No I don't" Lauren replied back sitting up straight.

"Lauren, I'm a moderator, don't you think I have the capabilities to see whose logging in, when and how many times?" Sarah tried again.

The group of girls around them gave a low giggle at the expense of Lauren. The blonde girl merely gave them an icy glare before looking back at Sarah.

"I didn't even write that damn post, I only replied to it, what ever happened to freedom of speech?" She mocked leaning back again and gulping from her cup.

"I don't care who started, I only care about having to spend all that time deleting unnecessary posts. And as for your freedom of speech; its limited, it doesn't mean you can go around hurting people's feelings. I'm pretty sure Rinoa read all your little remarks." Sarah just shook her head, this girl was a waste of time, she hardly ever got along with any of the girls apart from the ones she had to in order not to be a complete outcast.

"I swear it won't happen again Sarah, I don't think Lauren meant any harm, did you?" Tilly spoke up. The girl was a timid red haired girl, her green eyes were like large orbs that made her look like she was about to cry any second. She was a sweet girl that Sarah very much liked to talk with, _Its a shame Lauren couldn't learn a thing or two from her, _Sarah thought to herself.

"Whatever, you're having such a go at me, I wasn't the one that started that comment war, have you even spoken to Dexter?" Lauren argued back not forgetting to give Tilly the icy glare she gave the rest of the group a minute ago.

"Yes as a matter of fact, I have spoken to Dexter, he apologised and realised he handled the situation wrong, unlike you. However, as I recall he was trying to settle the situation from infusing." Sarah replied now annoyed that the blonde wouldn't just apologise and realise her wrong. She had enough anyways.

"Look Lauren, I'm telling you now, either restrain yourself in the future or I'm going to have to block you from actively taking part in the forums. You know its an act of misdemeanour and the Disciplinary Committee can actually suspend you if you repeat this kind of behaviour. This is a verbal warning." And with that Sarah stood up ready to walk away.

* * *

Rinoa scanned the room of kids all lively from the music and drinks supplied for the party. She couldn't see any of the gang around in the living room, her eyes started from front of the room where a bookshelf stood near the open window. A two seated couch lay next to the shelf facing the widescreen TV, a couple of the kids were busy playing on the video games and cursing each other jokingly. Another couple of seats and couches lay on the open floor with kids sprawled across it talking and laughing loudly.

The room was pretty much filled and Rinoa couldn't spot anyone she knew among the crowd. Finally she spotted Sarah near a group of girls, the brown haired girl was standing up and making her way towards another exit that looked like it led to the kitchen.

"Look Squall there's Sarah, I'm going to say hi, you can go around the other way and see if you can find Zell or the others" Rinoa said looking at Squall who looked at the same crowd she was looking at with distaste.

Squall looked at her and nodded. She was about to walk away when she felt his hand on her arm.

* * *

"Look Lauren, there's Rinoa and Squall." Becky whispered into Lauren's ear quietly hoping Tilly or the other girls wouldn't hear her.

"Ech. Look at the way she's all over him, is he so blind? Didn't he even see that picture of her with Seifer?" Lauren looked the Rinoa and Squall, he was saying something to her with his hand softly yet firmly holding her arm.

Becky looked at her friend, she could tell she wasn't happy. "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see" Lauren smiled and sipped on her drink.

* * *

"Call me when you want to leave, I'll keep my phone on loud, and don't stay 10 minutes more in a place without seeing me, you don't know these kids, there are a lot of scum among them." Squall warned Rinoa looking around the room full of rowdy teens.

"Don't worry Squall, I'm only going to say hi to Selphie and then I'll drag her with me to meet you." Rinoa assured him and started to make her way towards the direction she saw Sarah disappear to.

Squall walked the opposite way towards the back room in hope to find Zell and the others.

Rinoa hopped over a body lying on the floor, the young boy looked passed out, his body was evidently breathing as his chest was moving up and down and his mouth had let out some drool.

She had nearly reached the end of the room when a hand had poked out and touched her arm.

"Hey you're Rinoa right?" A blonde haired girl smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah I am" Rinoa replied back slightly surprised by the attention.

"I'm Lauren, I think we're in the same Art class." The girl introduced herself.

"Oh yeah I think I remember you." Rinoa actually couldn't for the life of her place the girl anywhere, she did remember seeing her maybe once or twice in the cafeteria but never really put much attention on her.

"So you like the party?" Lauren asked still smiling.

* * *

"…and she had the nerve to actually argue, can you believe that?" Sarah was filling Quistis and Selphie in on the whole encounter with Lauren.

"Lauren is just pathetic, she only wrote those cruel things because she's had a crush on Squall since like seventh grade" Selphie inputted.

"What?" Quistis asked. She had been told about the comments that spread from the picture posted on the school forum. A load of nasty comments had been spread about Rinoa by Lauren and her minions, comments that Sarah spent ages removing, but not before Rinoa got to see them.

"Yeah she's been on his case since then, and last year she was really forward about it. She was in my history class and Squall was there, she got me to pass him a note. I didn't read it, I just passed it to him. Squall just looked at me like I was crazy because he thought I wrote it." Selphie started explaining. "Anyways I just asked what it said and he showed me and I burst out laughing and explained it was from Lauren. He just scribbled an answer on the paper and handed it back to her."

"What did it say?" Sarah asked.

"She told him she thought he had the nicest eyes and wouldn't mind looking into those eyes Friday night. It was supposed to be real smooth. He just replied back with: N. O." Selphie laughed.

"There could have been a nicer way to let her down" Quistis suggested.

"Yeah he did before that, she asked him many times before that note and he always said no. The note was just a harsh way to tell her to get lost and stop trying." Selphie said convinced it was a just means to a harsh truth.

"She deserved it after the things she said, I'm so glad I removed them all." Sarah said deeply looking into space. Rinoa was such a nice girl and she hated to see such harsh rumours spread about someone so innocent.

"Dude, Rinoa read most of them, I sent her link before I told you about the comments. When I called her last night she just seemed really distracted and didn't want to talk about it. I think it really shook her up." Selphie replied to a worried looking Sarah.

Quistis could feel as the guilt and shame filled her up, she could feel her heart weighing down making it hard for her to breath. She couldn't believe she was cause for these rumours, of course last night when she read them she thought they were nothing. She knew Lauren and Becky and the nasty things they made up about others, she thought Rinoa would just ignore the comments. That's because she forgot Rinoa wasn't used to these girls. Quistis tried to image herself going to a new school where no one knew her and having someone make stuff up about her. She couldn't believe she had stooped so low to prevent Rinoa and Squall from happening when she didn't need to. _Rinoa and Squall barely talk, of course there was that one instance in the Chemistry Lab but that was nothing, Squall looks at Rinoa sometimes with some hidden lust, but that's it. _She felt stupid for going to such lengths to stop something she didn't need to stop.

_I have to tell her, she deserves to know the truth._

* * *

Seifer was sitting on the low couch laughing hysterically while trying to, but failing miserably, throw M'n'Ms into Zell's mouth. Zell stood with his back to the arch door frame, his head titled back bobbing to catch the peanut clustered chocolate.

Squall looked down at his phone, it had only been eight minutes or so, Rinoa was due to call soon. He looked over at Irvine standing against the wall his cowboy hat titled up talking and flirting with some younger girl. Squall rolled his eyes at the sight, _I'd hate to be in Selphie's shoes._

Zell let out a loud cheer as he finally caught a sweet. He walked over to Squall's seat and nestled himself on the chair's arm.

"You heard what happened on the school forum's last night?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yeah I saw it." Squall replied not very interested.

"Load of bull, she had something in her eye, I was blowing into it to get it out." Seifer explained, he remembered the incident and wondered if Squall joined the dots.

Squall nodded to him, he had remembered the incident and the accusation he made, he realised that if Seifer had been lying all along, someone would have posted a picture of them actually kissing. Judging by the zoom and frame of the picture he was evident that the photographer was watching them for a long time.

"Yeah but still, those comments about her, man that was cold, really unnecessary. I swear I didn't know girls could be like that." Zell said shaking his head.

"Well, least someone was there to stick up for her, I only wish I had logged onto that crap and dealt with some of those pricks myself." Seifer cursed getting up off the couch and making his way to the shelf over packed with CD cases, books and photo frames.

Zell looked up at Seifer his eyes brightly lit up, "Oh yeah, PupuPrince, that's Dexter right?"

Seifer only nodded looking over his shoulder taking a CD out of the shelf and reading the content at the back. Squall scanned his brain, he remembered a boy in his Literature class, dark spiky hair, fair skin and a look of deep contemplation like he was bubbling with ideas. Whoever he was, he was glad someone was there to defuse the situation.

* * *

Rinoa was mechanically nodding her head along to the girl in front of her half listening to the boring story that she had to endure. She realised that ten minutes had probably passed long ago and she should call Squall to let him know she was ok before he sent the whole Esthar army looking for her.

"Lauren, hold on I need to call someone" Rinoa interrupted the girl and pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket.

The phone pressed to her ear she only heard one ring before he picked up.

"Hello" Squall's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Hey Squall, just checking in." Rinoa giggled into the phone.

"Ok, you coming to meet us? I found Zell and Seifer, we're in the back room."

"Erm, no I haven't found Selphie yet, I'll get her and meet you." Rinoa informed him.

"Ok, be quick."

"Ok bye." Rinoa said softly and hung up.

Lauren watched as the raven haired girl hung up and placed the phone into her pocket. She felt jealous the girl was getting so much attention from Squall. _She's not even that pretty, she's short, she's got a round face and her hair isn't even highlighted properly. What could he possibly see in her?_

* * *

The girls walked towards the front room again making their way towards the exit to meet the boys in the back room towards the stairs.

"Look there is Rinny." Selphie pointed out to Rinoa's figure digging into her pocket.

They made their way towards Rinoa, getting closer they could see who she was talking to.

"Hey Lauren" Selphie mockingly greeted the blonde.

"Hey Selphie, cool party." Lauren attempted to be civil.

Plucking up the courage Quistis walked up to Rinoa, "Rin, could we talk?"

"Hey Quisty, yeah sure" Rinoa smiled brightly. Even though it had been only 24 hours since she last saw her cousin she actually missed her.

"I'm going to check on Irvine" Selphie announced and left the group of girls.

Quistis took Rinoa's hand and looked at her in the eyes.

Lauren could see Quistis's mouth moving, she was saying something to Rinoa to which the girl wasn't too pleased with.

* * *

"Irvine Kinneas!" Selphie's loud screeching voice came from the arched doorway. "I leave you alone for a few minutes and you already have your rotten cowboy hands over someone else!"

Irvine sprang from the single couch nearly knocking over the young redhead sitting on his lap only a few seconds ago laughing.

"Selphie, baby, its not what it looks like!" Irvine tried. The redhead threw him a death glare equal to the one Selphie was reflecting herself.

Squall looked at the situation, Selphie was fuming her eyes wide, hands on hips, steam almost traceable coming out from her ears demanding an explanation. _On seconds thoughts, I'd hate to be in Irvine's shoes_.

Squall looked past Selphie's body at the doorway, he couldn't see Rinoa anywhere, he wondered whether Rinoa had bumped into Quistis and hence her lateness. He was getting bored of the party and hoped she wouldn't desire to stay any longer.

* * *

"So you posted a picture of me and Seifer to stop what Quistis? You made me promise not to get involved with him, did you actually believe I wouldn't keep my promise?" Rinoa asked unbelievable over the truth she just heard.

"No it wasn't entirely like that. I was acting stupid and I didn't know how else to…" Quistis knew she sounded stupid, as stupid as her efforts to stop Rinoa and Squall from going out.

"I've heard enough." Rinoa pushed passed Quistis, she needed to get out now, she wanted to find Squall and go back to his place. She couldn't believe Quistis was the one that posted that picture. Her own flesh and blood would stoop so low to defame her over something as petty as making sure she kept away from a high school crush. It hurt her, more than what she felt yesterday. Yesterday it was just a bunch of teenagers acting as bullies, today with the confession, it was a stab in the back from a friend. She wanted to shout at Quistis, she wanted even more to tell her that her efforts were useless and that Squall revealed his true feelings, and it was Rinoa he liked. But that proved Quistis's point, she did have a reason for putting that picture up. Even though she was angry she had to admit that regardless of what Quistis did, she had somehow had some form of involvement of making Squall like her.

Making her way towards the end of the room she bumped into someone causing their drink to spill over her shirt soaking her upper body completely.

"Oh no, Rinoa are you ok?" Lauren's high pitched voice came screeching into Rinoa's ears.

"Just fine!" Rinoa said her annoyance growing by the second. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Come with me we'll get it cleaned up." Lauren said grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs along the corridor and into a small bathroom.

"You wait here, I'll get Selphie to bring you a clean shirt." Lauren said trying to comfort the girl.

"Ok" Rinoa said taking the now sticky alcohol smelling shirt off her body and placing it on the bathtub. She turned the knob of the cold water, letting water fall onto the basin she had just plugged. Using the hand cloth next to the sink she wet it and applied it to her abdomen to wipe at the drink that leaked from her shirt.

"And I'll get this washed and dry" Lauren said and grabbed the shirt off the tub and ducked out of the small bathroom.

"NO! Lauren!" Rinoa poked her head out of the bathroom door only to see the blonde girl's retreating body running down the stairs. _Great. How exactly am I suppose to leave this bathroom in only my bra?_ Rinoa just about had enough. She pushed the door shut and looked at her small cell. The basin was opposite her next to the toilet, along the wall ran the bathtub leaving little room to move about. Having no alternative she waited next to the little space between the sink and the bathtub.

* * *

Lauren ran down the stairs and scanned the room, she couldn't see him a first but finally spotted him walking towards her with a bowl of chips in his hand.

"Hey, erm Rinoa's looking for you, she said to meet her in the bathroom." Lauren spoke innocently.

"In the bathroom?" He replied.

"Yeah, here I'll take these, you better go quick she seemed really upset." Lauren gave her most sympathetic look she could muster and took the bowl off his hands.

"Ok, I'll go get Quistis to come with me." He said about to turn the opposite way.

"Er, no that's why she's upset, I think they had an argument. Anyways that's why she wanted you." She smiled sweetly hoping her plan would work.

He just shrugged and started making his way to the bathroom.

She waited a couple of seconds and then quietly followed him upstairs. He opened the door to the small bathroom and noticed Rinoa standing in her bra looking somewhat dishevelled and embarrassed by his sudden intrusion.

He felt two small hands on his back push him forward, stumbling he fell forward and grabbed onto the edge of the bathtub to steady himself. The door closed firmly and a key could be heard turning locking the two inside.

Rinoa tried using her arms to hide her half naked torso averting her eyes anywhere but at him.

"What's going on?" He asked confused still trying not to look at her.

"I think we are being set up, Seifer" She replied shaking her head.

* * *

Squall looked at his phone, she was suppose to call five minutes ago but he hadn't heard from Rinoa since the first call. He was about to start calling her when a figure stepped in front of him. Looking up his insides deflated as he saw Lauren somewhat lustrously standing in front of him.

"Hey Squall" She giggled.

"Hi" He said and rolled his eyes. _Damn, that was way too rude._ He didn't mean for it to be done so blatantly but she among other girls in their year were becoming annoying day by day. He had a big problem with girls like her, why couldn't they just take no for an answer?

Lauren didn't like the look he just gave her, it made her next move all the more sweeter.

"Rinoa needs help, she's in the bathroom, I think she had too much to drink." Lauren spat at him revelling in the moment that was to become.

"Bathroom?" Squall asked.

"Ye-" Lauren tried to reiterate but could only watch as Squall body already made its way upstairs.

* * *

Seifer sat on the tiled bathroom floor with some discomfort. The bathroom was tiny and he barely could have his legs crossed under him. He stretched his legs out but they kept touching the end of Rinoa's toes.

"Sorry" He muttered not looking up at the half naked girl he was sharing this prison cell with.

"Its ok" Rinoa replied still annoyed at the situation she was in. She stood leaning against the bathroom door her arms still crossed around her. She didn't know what she was more annoyed at, the fact that Quistis had posted that picture, or that someone had spilled their drink on her, or that someone else had pushed Seifer into the bathroom when she was seeking naked solitude in here, _Or the fact that Selphie has such a pathetic excuse for a bathroom, I mean come on, my knickers' draw is bigger than this!_ She puffed agitated by the small size of the room.

That's when she noticed a click of the key in the doorknob and the next thing she knew the door was pushed open and she was stumbling over Seifer's sprawled out legs and falling on all fours.

Her body was on top of Seifer's, her shirtless chest just centre metres away from Seifer's. She turned her half naked body towards the door to the intruder who knocked her down. The air in her body was knocked out in the same manner as before as she saw Squall look down at her in hurt and disbelief before turning and storming off.

* * *

**Yup, I just had to go and make drama happen just when she finds out that he likes her.  
And I won't be including in a teaser this week, so you're all just going to have to review if you want to know what's happening next week... yeah I know I'm mean :p**


	10. Tears' Point of view

**OK so this chapter is a whooping 9,200 words! Now I could have cut it down but it just means that the chapter isnt as dramtic as I intend it to be. Now due to this chapter being so long, I'm going to refrain from posting next week so I have some editing time. I havent had a chance to write much on this story because I've started another story.**

**Now what I want from my readers is to 1) PLEASE review this chapter, this chapter is really important and i want to get everyone's feedback of the last scene. 2) I have a poll on my profile please vote as it is also important.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Tears' Point (of view).**

He gripped the steering-wheel of his car, he could make out the blood withdrawing from his knuckles as they began to grow white. Anger filled him almost to the brink of boil; he was practically shaking. The image of Rinoa on top of Seifer made him sick; he knew something wasn't right about the scene. He knew it was funny that of all people, Lauren was the one to lead him to Rinoa. He knew something wasn't right, but even with that feeling, he just couldn't help but get mad at Rinoa.

* * *

Selphie ran up to her bathroom looking for Rinoa. She was walking around looking for the girl when she bumped into Squall, who was eager to get out of the front door as quickly as possible. When she asked him about Rinoa he didn't even bother to answer; he just stormed out. Lauren was leaning against the railing to the stairs and had told her of Rinoa's whereabouts and the incident with the soaked top. She handed Selphie Rinoa's shirt and mobile phone and lingered back to her friends.

Reaching the bathroom door she walked in to find Rinoa crying and Seifer with a very sympathetic look on his face, unaware of what he was supposed to do. It was then that she noticed Rinoa's half naked body.

"Er, Rinny are you okay?" Selphie asked concerned.

"Selphie get her a top or something" Seifer asked making his way out of the bathroom and looking around, most probably for Squall.

Selphie looked at Rinoa's soaked shirt but decided against it, taking off her zip-up fleece and handing it to Rinoa instead. Zipping it up she wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "Where's Squall?" She asked.

"Oh he headed out, what happened?" Selphie asked rubbing Rinoa's arm.

"I'll explain later, I really need to find him." She quickly made out before bursting into more tears and headed out the bathroom door.

"Rinny, your phone." Selphie called out. Rinoa grabbed it, cursing herself for not keeping in with her when she took her shirt off. _I could have used it to call him. He told me not to trust anyone._

Running down the stairs she scanned the room, people were looking at her oddly for her abrupt entrance into the foyer. She tried to ignore the stares, but looking to her left she caught Lauren sitting on one of the couches smirking at her. The blonde looked rather happy with herself. _I should have known._ Rinoa decided she would deal with her another time, what benefit the girl had in making Rinoa's evening a shambles would have to wait, she had more pressing matters.

She ran down the walkway looking around the neighbourhood until she reached the end of the walkway and opened the gate, but still couldn't see any sign of Squall. She took a couple of steps towards the next house and spotted his black Audi still parked in the parking spot. He sat inside holding the wheel, eyes locked into space, face emotionless. It broke her heart to see him like that, he wasn't the world's bubbliest person, but even this new image was on many levels beyond Squall's natural expression.

* * *

The door to the passenger's side opened and Rinoa got into the car. She shut the door and turned to look at him. She looked sad, her brows were frowned and the tears were still streaming down.

"Squall, what happened back in the hou-" Rinoa was cut short as her body thrust forward and then pulled back by the sudden movement of the car. Squall reversed out far enough and then hit the brakes changing the gear to first before speeding off into the streets.

Hurriedly, she put her seatbelt on and turned to try to educate him on the event that took place. She found it hard to talk or to stay in her seat due to the constant sharp bends Squall was taking. She looked out past his face to the window beside him and could only make out the silhouettes of trees and houses as he drove by quickly.

"Look Squall, I know you're upset but it wasn't what it looked like." Rinoa tried again her voice trembling. He said nothing, his face didn't change one bit. His eyes were focused on the road and his lips were pressed down showing his concentration.

"Someone spilled drink on me and I just went into the bathroom to change. Seifer happened to walk in and we kind of got locked in-" again her body moved towards the windshield as the car made an abrupt stop.

She looked ahead and noticed they were already parked outside his house. Selphie didn't live that far away but it still took 10 minutes to drive down nonetheless. Squall would have to have done some major speeding to get home this quick. She looked back to him to only notice he was already making his way out and walking towards the house.

She quickly unbuckled herself from her seat and opened the car door. She ran up to him as he raised his hand behind him and turned the alarm on with his controller.

She met him at the front door as he let himself in, she followed close. He took of his shoes and made his way to the stairs walking up completely ignoring her.

She still persisted. "Squall please listen, it was an accident. When you opened the door, I fell on-" For the third time she was cut off. They had already reached the landing when Squall had turned around facing her, his face only inches away from hers. He looked into her brown orbs with his steel blue, his eyes weren't showing the sad loneliness she saw in him when they first met, now they were alight with fire, angry at the turn of events.

"Who you chose to engage in extra curricular activities with is none of my business. I made a promise to your father to get you here in one piece, I did just that." He spoke so coldly. "I hope you had a pleasant evening… now stay out of my way."

He walked into his room and bolted the door shut. She stood there for a second shocked by his words, she never saw this coldness in him. He was abrupt at times, he was reserved, but he was never cold, cynical or rude.

Her eyes filled with tears again and she slumped down by the wall near his door. She hugged her knees and let her head rest on her folded arms. Unable to contain the emotions inside any longer she silently sobbed.

* * *

"Can I get you anything else ma'am?" The waitress asked slightly irritated that the teen had only ordered a small coffee and sat sipping on it for the past 40 minutes.

"No thank you, I'll just get the bill." Quistis replied. She took her purse out of her bag taking out the change she owed the woman while the woman wrote up her bill.

The door to the little café opened, a jingle of the bell announcing the arrival of a new customer. Seifer walked in and took a seat opposite Quistis looking up at the waitress.

"Can I get an Americano and a blueberry muffin please." He asked and moved his sight onto the blonde sitting in front of him. The waitress rolled her eyes and went to make the order. Quistis slouched back readily expecting the ear full she was about to receive, she knew she had a lot to apologise for, but she didn't know that her actions would have become this disastrous. In all honesty, although her actions weren't based on sincere intentions, she had hoped that in some way she could replace someone like Seifer for Rinoa; to make up for the promise she made her take. Seifer wasn't a bad guy; he was handsome, he was trustworthy and, when he was bothered, he was actually a very capable and conscientious student.

But that didn't matter now, she had posted something she thought would force the two together, but instead it had led to defaming her cousin and causing a huge embarrassment for her, not to mention cause a rift between them.

"Whatever you have to say make it quick because I feel a migraine coming on" Quistis dully started the interaction between them.

"Funny." Seifer mocked, he couldn't believe her stubbornness, he hadn't even said anything and already she jumped to defence mode. "Why'd you do it?"

Seifer knew Quistis more than anyone else in their group, he had always had a keen eye on her from the moment they met. If Quitis was a book, Seifer was not only the student who studied and wrote a theses on it, rather he was the author. He knew she was planning on something the day a poll was made about himself and Rinoa, her constant remarks of how cute the two were together just heightened his suspicions.

"I was trying to help." Quistis replied not meeting his eyes, she kept her focus on the sugar container in front of her.

"Bull." He knew Quistis, he knew there was more to this, there had to be some underlining maliciousness in her actions. Quistis would never go to such measures to match up her friends, there had to be another reason for her stupidity.

"Its true." She looked right at him, straight into his eyes and stood her ground. "She enjoyed spending time with you, she mentioned you were interested in someone else and I thought you were playing hard to get."

"So what? You thought posting a picture of her in an awkward position on a public forum was going to help? You didn't think that maybe people would have taken it the wrong way?"

"I… I didn't think that far, after the poll results I thought people would be supportive." She tried to prove her point, but she knew she was failing. Seifer was like a hawk, had the boy concentrated a little more in school he could become Balamb's next top lawyer.

"It still doesn't explain why you went to such measures. Don't try and work your way out of this. I saw the efforts you made when getting Irvine and Selphie together, and no offence to you, but lets just say you were more than lacking. Quistis you have a pretty laid back personality, it was you that told Irvine that if she said no, than he'd have to accept it. Why work so hard on Rinoa?"

The waitress arrived with Seifer's coffee and muffin and set it down on the table. She looked at the blonde girl whose eyes were trance like fixated on the sugar container.

"Will the young lady order anything else?" She asked politely. A couple of minutes ago she was irritated by the girl's waste of time and space, but now she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The young lady was obviously distressed about something and her mood had worsened since the arrival of the blond man.

"Quistis?" Seifer got her attention forcing her to lift her gaze off from the safety of the sugar container and look up at the waitress, glancing at Seifer on her way.

"Could I have a bottled water please." She replied softly.

"Have you eaten anything?" Seifer asked. It was just past 11 o'clock and he figured an early lunch would at least keep her here to discuss the situation that unravelled last night.

Quistis shook her head, she couldn't eat, she kept thinking back to Rinoa's tearful face running across the house and rushing out of the door. She thought something had happened with someone upstairs, maybe someone made some comments about her and decided to further provoke and abuse her. But Rinoa was stronger than that, she still found it odd but couldn't think of anything else that would cause her to run off the way she did. She had asked Lauren what happened thinking it was her doing but the girl refused to acknowledge the incident nor give reason to her leaving. Even Selphie didn't understand why she took off the way she did, leaving Quistis to call her asking if she was alright, but Rinoa wouldn't even answer her phone. She wanted to see her but neither daughter nor father left an address that Quistis could find to apologise.

"Can we have two tuna and sweet-corn sandwiches please." Seifer asked returning to Quistis once the waitress went to carry out the second order. "So?" He continued their conversation. "Why try so hard with Rinoa?"

Quistis hesitated, she didn't want Seifer to think badly of her, she knew it was childish and immature but somehow she thought maybe Seifer might understand and it would lessen the degree of her actions.

"Because I was afraid that Squall might ask her out," She stared at Seifer now, "I've seen the way he looks at her, and I wished he'd look at me like that." She could feel the tears prickling at her eyes, not from a sense of self pity, but because she realised just how shallow her actions were. Now that she thought about it, Rinoa hadn't made any advances towards Squall, her actions were all down to fear in case Squall made the moves. Although regretful of her actions, on a humorous side, it would have made more sense to set Squall up with someone.

"Do you think she likes him back?" He asked Quistis not sure if she knew the truth.

"I thought she did, she's quite open with him and he seems to be okay with that. He's normally closed up, but around her, it's as if he doesn't mind the attention she gives him." She thought about the next sentence she was going to say, she knew she had to word it in a way where she didn't look pathetic, however, she realised there was no way. "I was upset when he said she was his girlfriend so I… made her promise not to go out with him ever."

Seifer sat up straight and inhaled in, _Damn you girls and damn you Leonhart, _he looked right at her and asked her his next question. "So you made her promise something, and what you thought she'd break her promise?"

"I dunno, I guess. She's always so bubbly. I knew if she didn't do anything Squall would, and then she might say yes." Quistis's hand went to her head and she rubbed at her temples she could feel a headache coming on.

The waitress came with the food and soon disappeared. Seifer sipped at his coffee and set it back down on the round coffee table. He broke off a piece of his muffin nibbling at it.

"Do you know that a month ago, when the six of us when to watch that film, I accused her of liking Squall." He stated, Quistis looked up at this new source of information. "Do you know what she said?" The blonde shook her head. "Wel,l she didn't say he liked him, but she neither denied it. The one thing she did say on the matter, was that YOU liked him. That was a month ago, you seem to be over Squall now and guess what? She still won't admit her feelings, I know she likes him, and sorry to burst your bubble but he likes her too." He took off another piece of his muffin and shoved it into his mouth.

Quistis just sat in silence listening, not knowing what to say. She knew Rinoa was trustworthy and she wouldn't break her promise, she'd have to do some major grovelling to be forgiven.

"Look when I see her I'm going to apologise, I tried calling her last night but she wouldn't pick up. I guess she's still upset over the whole thing." She tried reasoning hoping Seifer would cut her some slack.

He laughed shaking his head. "You are so clueless. Do you even know what happened last night?" She shook her head again her eyes widening in fear of some horrendous news. "She was made a fool of, she was locked in a bathroom with little less than a bra and then I got shoved in with her. To top it off, she was knocked down on top of me, in a very awkward position, when Squall tried to get in. Long story short, he wasn't too happy when he saw us in the position we were in, and took off."

Quistis's mouth was slightly agape in surprise of what she had just heard, she started putting the pieces together and now it all made sense. Rinoa's distraught exit at the party was obviously because she was running after Squall.

"What happened after that?" She croaked.

"Don't know, both of them went home but I don't know if he actually talked to her. One thing I do know is Leonhart. If anything he'll be cold and distant to her, once his trust is taken; he closes up like a oyster with a million gil pearl." He kept staring at Quistis, she was crying now, he wondered if she was crying out of guilt or because she felt sympathy for Rinoa.

"I have to talk to her." She finally managed to speak, she wiped her tears away and blew her nose. She felt horrible, she didn't know it would lead to this kind of degradation but her actions definitely spoke louder than the words posted on the forum.

"You need to give her some time." Seifer took a deep breath, he needed to tell her now, he needed to make sure that she knew the truth and that maybe it might just get her to leave the whole Rinoa and Squall situation alone. "Look Quistis, there's something you should know. The date we all went on, that group thing." She nodded in acknowledgement. "It was a set-up, Squall only went along with it because I told him to. He has never had feeling for you, in fact he's never had feelings for any girl, until Rinoa."

Quistis stared at him with her forehead creased. "But why? Why would you do that to me after the lecture you just gave me?" She asked confused, she wanted to be angry but she was too upset over the situation with Rinoa to get worked up at this new revelation.

"He only asked you out so that you'd spend time with me, but in the end it didn't work out that way, you went off with him and I went off with Rinoa." It was Seifer's turn to stare at the sugar container.

"That still doesn't make any sense, why would he accept my invitation if he was only going to go off with Rinoa, he didn't even know of Rinoa then." It still didn't add up for her and she was more confused than before.

"Sheesh woman you're pretty dumb for a smart lady. Quistis open your eyes and get your head of the clouds." He spoke clearly still trying to keep his voice moderate. "Squall doesn't like you, he only agreed because I made him. Me… so what does that tell you?"

"Um." She creased her forehead trying to think. _Because Squall listens to Seifer?_ "Because Squall listens to you?" She offered.

He slapped his head. "No you airhead, because I like you… and made him agree so I'd go in his place and…" He trailed off agitated.

"Oh." Quistis suddenly felt her cheeks growing red.

* * *

Rinoa woke up in her bed groggily looking around and wondering how she got there. She focused her eyes against round clock on the adjacent wall which was displaying the time 11:43. She widened her eyes at the extent of her oversleeping, usually on weekends she would sleep in latest by 10am. She looked down at her clothes; she was still in the clothes she was wearing to Selphie's party minus her own shirt replaced by Selphie's.  
_The party!_ She remembered everything. She remembered how Squall stormed into his room leaving her weeping on the landing. She remembered kneeling down against the wall and sobbing. The house was pretty quiet, it was nearing 10pm and her eyes felt sore, she needed to rest them. But defying and trying to keep awake in case Squall came out of his room she remained seated there and waited for him to come out. She could have knocked and made him open the door, but she wanted to talk to him when he had calmed down and knowing he wanted to talk to her. She remembered telling herself she would just rest her eyes but soon she fell into a sleep. She couldn't remember walking into her room after that, though she had some recollection of feeling someone strong pick her up and place her into bed, they had stroked her hair and closed the door quietly leaving her in the dark in a peaceful slumber._ Dad. I wonder if he knew why I was out there. _Her mind went back to Squall, how disgusted he looked and how cold he was to her after.

She looked at the time again, 11:45, wanting to see him and explain she jumped out of bed and started for his room. She opened the slightly ajar door and peeked inside. The bed was empty, neatly made, his books were scattered on his desk and his window was slightly open. She poked her head back out and ran downstairs hoping she'd find him in the kitchen.

She walked in only to find her father sipping on tea and typing like lightening speed on his laptop. He was in his home clothes which consisted of his checkered black and white shirt, buttoned up to the top excluding the collar and black khaki pants complete with brown slippers.

"Morning Dear, or shall I say afternoon?" He joked smiling without actually looking at her.

"Morning Dad. Erm, Dad where's Squall?" She asked getting straight to the point. She was hoping to see him as quickly as possible before she had to go out with her father.

"Oh, they've gone to Winhill for the day." The General replied looking up. "Said they might be back late and that we should help ourselves to lunch. Laguna is such a well-mannered host, exactly why Galbadia needs someone like him. He even offered to send in a chef all the way from Galbadia to cook for us while they're away."

"So they'll be gone for the whole day?" Rinoa asked hoping by chance her father was wrong and they'd walk into the kitchen any minute. Her father only nodded and she slumped down on a stool feeling like the weights on her shoulders were getting heavier.

"Why don't you get ready poppet and we'll head down the town, you can buy something for Quistis while you're there, as a thank you present for making you feel welcome here." He suggested sipping on his tea again.

_Yeah right, thanks Quistis for everything, I feel really welcome._ She felt the sadness she was feeling a second ago vanish replaced by irritation and betrayal.

* * *

Laguna rolled down the driver's side window and stuck his hand out leaving it to hang. His sunglasses sat on top of his head allowing him to see the road ahead in all it's sunlight. Ellone sat next to him in the passenger seat reading a book with her feet up resting on the dashboard.

Squall sat behind them with his head pressed against the glass window staring out onto the Galbadian plains. His thoughts only consisted of two things; seeing Rinoa on top of Seifer and seeing Rinoa slumped outside his room. The latter was playing on his mind the most, even though seeing Rinoa with Seifer made his stomach knot he couldn't help but feel responsible and affectionate seeing her in her slumber. He had watched her at first looking at the innocence in her face, he couldn't believe that an angelic face as hers was capable of getting down and dirty in a bathroom at a high school party. Something just wasn't right about that scene. He knew it was some kind of set up.

Seifer had called him last night using Irvine's phone, Seifer knew he wouldn't pick up if he had called him himself. He only got one sentence in though, before Squall hung up on him. But that sentence was informative enough, it only took one sentence to make Squall realise that yesterday wasn't what it was made out to look like. If anyone knew Squall well enough other than Ellone it was Seifer, it only took him that one sentence to get Squall to open his mind to the truth.

He replayed Seifer's words in his head over and over. _Was it true? Or is it just for my solace? Was that her true feelings?_ His head was filling with so many questions, so many things he wanted to answers to. He wanted to talk to Rinoa, he wanted to ask her for the truth. But at the same time he felt knowing the truth would cause him more grief. Seeing Rinoa in that position regardless of whether it was sincere or not, showed Squall the attachment he had over her, an attachment he hadn't formed with anyone since his mother's death. He didn't want to be dependant on anyone, physically or emotionally. People either betrayed you, abandoned you or neglected you and he didn't want any of those things to occur to him again.  
Of course Raine couldn't help her death, neither was it in her hands the emotion Squall felt after. But he promised himself he wouldn't get close to another person after his mother's death so he wouldn't have to go through it again. Just thinking about losing Ellone and even Laguna one day worried him, he knew the day would come, but he'd try to cope.

He closed his eyes mentally kicking himself. _How could I let myself like her, how did I become so attached to her?_ He didn't want this feeling, he didn't want to be emotionally dependant on another human being again. He had just suffered minor hurt from Rinoa's actions that he didn't want a repetition regardless of the truth.

He knew what he had to do, he had to take control of the situation, he had to take control of his feelings.

* * *

The Balamb Hotel was Balamb's busiest and most expensive hotel with its seaside view, excellent restaurant and its top 5 star rating for it's services. It was situated just off the hillside off the town's Intercontinental Rail Station and between the cobbled pathway to the local pier. With its large foundation and friendly exterior it attracted many tourists and acted as the General's decoy as to why he was in town.

Father and daughter sat on the large patio of the hotel's restaurant sampling a range of Balamb's fish. The restaurant's patio was decorated with beautiful red roses and white lilies that made the bleak concrete of the granite slabs look more pleasing. Six large square tables were scattered across the large patio with an equal amount of two seated tables. Each table also was adorned with small gold and white lanterns that would be used during night making the setting more serene.

The two had shopped in the town for a few hours buying souvenirs and presents for family and work colleagues back in Deling City. Rinoa had to pick something out for Quistis as a thank you present initiated by her father but had a hard time finding something that accented her true feelings. She didn't want her father to ask if anything happened between them as her usual uplifting spirit she felt towards the mention of Quistis refused to make its way. Settling for a white gold tennis bracelet she asked the woman behind the counter at the jeweller's to wrap it up. She decided she wouldn't give it to Quistis straight away, she didn't deserve it, but maybe once the anger in her subsided she would hand it over at least for the hospitality she showed her when they weren't at war.

She was still playing with the square black velvet box when their waiter returned with his notepad in hand.

"Have Sir and Madam decided which fish they will be having for lunch?" He asked looking at both father and daughter.

"Yes I think I'll try the Balamb fish, it's a bit foul on the nose but I quite like the texture, a very meaty fish. Yes I'll have that with jersey potatoes, without the butter, parsley sauce and a garden salad please." The General ordered and handed back his menu.

"And the lady?" The waiter asked looking at Rinoa who was still idly poking at the small black box.

"Dear?" Caraway tried to get the girl's attention.

Rinoa looked up and just noticed the waiter in front of her. "Oh sorry, erm… what's in your Ocean Delight?" She asked feeling stupid for not attempting to look at her menu.

"The Ocean Delight is a choice of our freshly caught fish, grilled and served with an Estharian salad and mushroom sauce."

"Ok, can I have that then please." She smiled and handed back the menu.

"And which fish would you like?" The waiter asked.

"Salmon please, and could you make it well done?"

"As you wish ma'am." The waiter obliged and went off.

"So Rinoa, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Carway asked crossing his arms and looking at his daughter worriedly.

She knew sooner or later he'd figure something was wrong, back in Deling she'd always confide in her father when something was bothering her, here she kept bottling it up having no one to talk to.

"Its fine Dad, everything's fine." She decided against coming clean, she wasn't exactly sure how he would take the fact that she was naked in a locked bathroom with another boy.

"Things may be fine but they are not good. And I want to know why things aren't good."

"Dad, I'm your princess, not the world's. You said yourself I can't expect the world to hand me everything on a silver platter." She said slightly harsh not wanting to seem rude, but quite irritated that the conversation was still being pursued.

"Yes I did say that, but that doesn't mean people can treat you otherwise. I know there is something wrong, you were quiet the whole time we were shopping and just now you wondered off into a daydream. I also happened to notice every time I mentioned Quistis you avert your eyes." He continued to analyse.

There was no way getting past her father, he wouldn't relent and she knew she'd have to say something before he wanted to discuss things with Quistis's parents.

"We're just going through a phase, like all friends go through." She decided to make the situation lighter than it was.

"And what type of phase are you going through?"

* * *

The waiter returned from the kitchen into the foyer of the restaurant. It was only 1:30pm, but he couldn't wait for his shift to be over. The day in day out smell of the Balamb fish was driving him mad, but only a couple of more overtime shifts and he'd have the money he needed for the big question. He couldn't believe people touched that stuff, like the General for instance, yes it was a good textured fish but it smelt so foul it was enough to put you off from being able to consume it. Tourists normally only ordered it as an experience to Balmab dining, they liked the modernity and cultural experiences of Balamb and trying out the world worst smelling fish was all part of the package.

Shaking his head at the naivety of foreigners he went to serve his next customer.

"Yes Sir may I be of assistance?" He asked the large man in front of him. The guy was a typical tourist clad in a floral print shirt and cream khaki cut off pants. The look was complete with a straw hat and black sunglasses and a camera attached to his neck.

"G'day mate, can I get table, I'm just on me lonesome." The man's strong Shumi accent voiced back.

"Of course you may Sir." The waiter replied and picked up a menu. "Follow me please."

They made their way to a small round table at the back of the patio near a wall decorated with roses and vines. The man took a seat and took hold of the menu being passed to him.

"I'll give you a minute to read through the menu." The waiter informed and left the man by himself.

He wanted to call the waiter back to order a drink as he felt very parched. He held out his hand to wave to the waiter but noticed him walking to a table with a very familiar man and a young woman.

* * *

"Your food will be with you shortly Sir, can I offer you any more beverages while you wait?" The waiter asked Caraway.

"No thank you, I'm perfectly fine." Carway dismissed the man and Rinoa just shook her head.

Once the waiter disappeared she continued with her story. "So I guess in a way I was breaking my end of the promise, I swear I didn't know I was doing it at the time. I just thought that maybe if I couldn't like Squall, I could at least be friends with him."

Caraway thought for a long time processing everything his daughter had said in the past 15 minutes. He had listened to her version and could honestly tell that she felt something stronger than a high school crush. _But is she ready for such a serious bag of emotions?_

"Darling, first of all, even though you did make a promise, and I have told you to always carry out your commitments, you shouldn't feel guilty about this one." He started.

Rinoa looked up at her father surprised. "You see, making a promise about liking someone, it sort of has that reverse effect. I am not saying you like Squall because you are not allowed to. But the level of fondness you have on him is made greater when someone deters you from that." Caraway tried to explain.

She wanted him to continue and give her an explanation for her feelings, she hadn't talked to anyone about this and she was glad and appreciative that she had someone to finally confide in.

"Now making someone promise not to like someone, or even _love_ someone," He paused making eye contact causing Rinoa to look away, "isn't fair. We don't always have control over our feelings. You might hate someone one day and wake up the next declaring eternal love. Its silly to make these promises and you shouldn't have agreed, it would have made this situation easier."

"But Dad I did try and stay away." Rinoa tried to plea.

"I know honey, but you see, once you made that promise, whenever you made advances to Squall even if it was a in jest or as a friend, you were making Quistis feel insecure. The promise was more for her benefit than yours. To be honest I would prefer if you didn't like anyone and stayed with me until I'm on my deathbed but I know that isn't going to happen. You need to talk to her Rinoa, you need to tell her that although you made that promise, you regret it and…" Caraway paused.

"and…" Rinoa prodded.

"…that you can't keep to terms with it." He finished.

She was surprised by her father's suggestion. "No Dad, I can, I can do this I've done it this far I know-"

"You don't know." Caraway interrupted. "Rinoa I've seen the way you smile at that boy, I don't think I've ever seen you smile that way towards those pop boy bands you liked. That smile you adorn yourself with is a serious one. I've seen it before and I can tell from your smile you are serious about Squall."

"How?" She asked still not sure.

"Because your mother smiled at me like that."

* * *

The waiter placed the two plates on the General's table and made his way to the large man sitting on the small round table.

"Has Sir made a decision?"

"Yeah, could I just have the Balamb fish and some sea salt chips please?" The man asked his gazed still on the couple at the back.

"Right away."

"Er, excuse me, but that man over there, is that who I think it is? Is he the General Calway from Deling City?" The man asked the waiter hoping for confirmation.

"Yes, the General _Caraway_, I'm guessing the young lady is his daughter." The waiter replied about to make his way back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, the young Sheila looks like the late Julia doesn't she?" The man inquired further. "So why is he here?"

"I am sorry Sir, I would not have that information. Please excuse me." The waiter replied and walked off.

The man took his phone out and dialled in a number. He placed his phone near his ear and waited for it to connect. Three rings and then someone picked up.

"G'day mate, its me Skippie, never guess whose here in Balamb?"

* * *

Squall sat legs crossed under him on the large hill covered in grass. His mother's tomb stone sat in front staring out at him as if to ask what was wrong. He felt silly talking to a stone, Ellone and Laguna did it all the time saying it was a way to relinquish grief. Squall just thought it was silly, his mother was dead, she had been for years now, it wouldn't make him feel better to talk to a tomb stone.

His thoughts kept going back to Rinoa and the course of action he needed to take. He wanted to open his mouth and ask his mother, well ask the stone in front of him but he knew it was pointless. He wouldn't get an answer if he was doing the right thing. He had only himself to depend on.

* * *

Caraway waited for the waiter to return to him with his credit card. The two had finished their late lunch and were waiting to head off home before Laguna and the others returned.

Rinoa was still thinking about the impending conversation she were to have with Quistis. She didn't know if her father's advice was the right thing, she was trying to image Quistis's reaction but the only thought that came to her was Quistis's tearful eyes accusing her of planning this all along. She remembered back to the day when she first heard about Squall and how she promised to help Quistis, now that she thought about it she felt rather guilty and even more apprehensive about telling her about Squall.

"What's wrong pet? I thought we sorted your problem?" Caraway asked breaking Rinoa's train of thought.

She sighed and looked up at him. "Dad, yesterday something happened at Selphie's party, something Squall didn't like. And I'm pretty sure when I get home he won't be talking to me." She paused.

"What happened?" Caraway asked worried.

"Its not a big deal, but I was thinking, there isn't any point in telling Quistis about my feelings for Squall. After last night I doubt he'd return them."

* * *

"Mate, its Skippie again. Yeah I got 'em, I just need to know why he's here… Well I'm not sure about that… Look mate you got your reasons and I got mine. Why don't we make a deal, I'll get you all the information and pictures you want and you find me a way into Esthar?… Hehe, good one mate, see ya then."

* * *

Rinoa tipped the content of her handbag onto her bed and picked up her phone. The screen displayed that she had one new message. She slid her phone up and viewed the message.

_**We both got mail, mine was about the Geog. trip to Shumi Village, I'm guessing so is yours. **_

_**You don't need to txt back, thought you should know thats all. **_

_**Q.**_

She rolled her eyes, it seemed that she would have to see Quistis sooner rather than later. She had hoped to steer clear of the blonde during school as she was still confused and upset about this whole situation. Now however, she needed to retrieve the letter from her to get parental approval.

Sighing to herself she hit the reply button and started tapping away.

_**OK bring in my letter 2mrw**_

_**Ill meet you in the library 8.45am**_

_**Ill get my dad to sign it so don't ask Anna or Jacques. **_

_**R.**_

* * *

The car passed by the Balamb Hotel towards the upper hill estates of Balamb. Laguna was tired of the long drive through the wide Galbadia plains but he enjoyed it nonetheless. He looked in the rear view mirror at Ellone sprawled at the back listening to her iPod. Squall was in deep contemplation in the passenger seat. Laguna really wanted to prod his mind but from past experiences he knew he wouldn't get anything out of the young boy.

"Penny for your thoughts." Laguna joked and awaited the usual rolling of the eyes from Squall. To his surprise Squall turned to him looking directly at him.

"I've been thinking, I want to Study at Esthar Central University."

"Really?" Laguna was surprised he actually got something out of Squall. He was even more surprised Squall was thinking of moving to Esthar, it excited him to think that Squall would move with him, that he'd choose to study in a country that one day he would run, that he would finally start learning about the country his father governed.

"Yeah." Squall replied and went back to staring straight ahead.

"May I ask why?" Laguna played it safe, he didn't want Squall to close up again after finally showing his father some initiative.

"My time in Balamb is up. There is nothing else keeping me here." He said seriously still not looking up.

The excitement Laguna felt only seconds ago was now replaced with apprehension. Squall's decision seemed clouded, it wasn't sincere, it wasn't for passion or to seek knowledge. It seemed like he was running from something.

Not wanting to invade his son's privacy Laguna settled with the answer. _He'll tell me when he's ready._

* * *

The two families sat around the dinner table, helping themselves to the hot spicy food purchased from the Trabian restaurant Laguna was talking about the day before, making general chatter. The two father's would sometimes go off on a tangent about their youth and how they spent their time at jobs they were not very good at before they found their passion, and talking about the current plans with Esthar and Galbadia.

Currently they were talking about horrendous family vacations laughing at the mishaps and blunders that took place.

"… and there's Rinoa; lipstick smeared all over her lips and chin, foundation powder all over her face and eyeliner vigorously sketched onto her forehead, adorned in her mother's heels, jewels and a very expensive Galbadian Silk scarf." Caraway was saying through laughter along with the rest of the room. "But to top it off, she had gone around the room with the same make-up colouring in all the flowers printed on the silk wall-paper of the hotel room. Well you could imagine the hotel owner's face when he saw the room, I thought he was about to explode."

They all laughed, Rinoa with tears in her eyes from the laughter, she remembered the event vividly although only being four at the time.

"I think our best horrendous vacation has to be in Winhill when Squall…" Ellone said trying to stifle the laughter that was bursting out of her.

Laguna caught on and let out a chuckle himself banging his fist on the table.

"Alright we don't need to talk about that, it was nothing." Squall quickly tried to prevent the story from unfolding.

"Oh I want to know!" Rinoa piped up, she met Squall's eyes hoping that he wasn't still upset from yesterday. When the family had walked in she greeted them as they were plating up the take-way. She had said hi to him and he replied back as if everything was normal.

"Trust me you don't." Squall replied back before putting a mini samosa into his mouth.

"Trust me I do." Rinoa smiled back. She was happy they could go back to being normal again, after the cold shoulder he showed her, she thought she had lost their new found friendship. It made her reconsider the talk she was suppose to have with Quistis.

"Well it all started with a water shortage in the Inn we were staying at." Ellone started. Squall rolled his eyes knowing the outcome of the story. "We all knew about the water shortage and it just so happened, that during the hottest day that summer, the Inn had no access to any water and therefore lost a lot of customers. Our mum used to run a pub in Winhill and she knew the owner and so we stayed out of loyalty. The only person that didn't know about the water shortage was Squall. It just so happened that Squall's luggage was the only one that got misplaced when we got to Winhill, so he had to make do with what he was wearing." Ellone tried to reiterate the story but finding it hard through giggles.

Rinoa kept looking at Squall who was trying to busy himself with the spicy food on his plate.

"To cut the long story short, Squall went in to take a shower leaving his clothes in his room. While in the bathroom trying to figure out why there was no water, the housekeeping lady came in and took his clothes mistaking it for dirty laundry. So Squall comes out while the lady has just popped out to the corridor to put the clothes away. There he is standing completely nude with the door wide open and the manager of the Inn as well as his wife and kids all staring at him in shock."

The group all burst into laughter, minus Squall whose face couldn't get any redder from the embarrassment.

"Oh my God, how old were you?" Rinoa asked.

Squall rolled his eyes, "I was 10." He replied back.

She smiled at him, she liked that she was able to share one experience with him, she wondered if Quistis knew about this. Ridding herself of the thoughts of Quistis she decided to bask in the moment she shared with Squall.

* * *

Squall was putting his clothes away neatly folding them and placing them in his draws.

He had just gotten into his sleeping clothes when he heard a light rapping on his door.

"Come in." He called out looking as the door opened.

"Hey" Rinoa squeaked as she made her way through the room and sat on his bed.

He turned around again and folded more clothes putting them away in his draws. He took a deep breath in contemplating whether or not to make a move first.

She beat him to it. "Squall, erm I just wanted to see if we could talk about yesterday." Rinoa started, looking at him hoping he'd turn around.

"There's nothing to talk about." He replied back casually.

"I wanted to explain what happened." Rinoa said still facing his back. She wanted to get up and make him face her. She didn't need to as he turned around that moment.

"You don't need to. I know it was a set up." He replied moving to his desk and shuffling around the items placed on it.

"Oh, so you know there's nothing going on with me and Seifer." She looked at him waiting for him to confirm as he nodded. "Well that's good. I hope we can go back to being the way-"

"Look Rinoa." He faced her now, seriousness written all over his face. "Don't think that the dinner downstairs changed everything. I was being civil because I didn't want your father knowing something had happened last night. Also, you're a guest in my home so I have to treat you with hospitality and kindness. But…" He thought about this carefully, once he said it, it would change everything.

"But?" Rinoa asked getting up from the bed.

"But once you go back to Quistis's house, we can't be friends." He said and went back to tidying his books.

"Wh-" She had to swallow, she was getting worked up. "Why?" She asked her breathing quickening.

"Because, we're not cut out to be friends. We're different." Squall said without looking at her.

"How? I'm no different from Selphie or Quistis, and you said we could be friends." She said making her way towards him. He wasn't staring at her, he was facing the door with her to his right.

She raised her hand and held his arm, feeling the tone and firmness of his hard biceps. She pulled at his arm forcing him to face her.

"You were different downstairs, how can you change so quickly?" She asked after he refused to answer her other question.

"Look, I don't like leaving my dirty laundry out to dry. Call it fake or whatever." He said to her coldly refusing to look at her.

"Still, if you know I didn't do anything with Seifer why don't you want anything to do with me?"

"Look, don't make this long. We're just not friendship material… I find you annoying." He said still with his gaze averted, serious faced, leaning against his desk.

"I'll change, tell me what you find annoying and I'll stop it." She pleaded her eyes prickling with tears.

"Its nothing you can change, its your character." He stayed cold and emotionless.

"Well, we haven't gotten to know each other properly, if we did then maybe-"

"I don't want to get to know you." He interrupted.

She shook her head adamant that it wasn't true, she wouldn't believe it. The tears in her eyes were increasing making it hard for her to see him now, he was just a blur, a gorgeous blur that was slowly being taken away.

She swallowed again, a huge pill like bump formed inside her throat. She steadied her breathing and put her hands on his chest looking up at him as she moved her body closer to his. She could feel his heartbeat against her right hand, it was moving almost as fast as hers. She didn't want to lose him, she wanted to bring back any morsel of friendship they could have, if he wouldn't give her anything more than that.

But she knew friendship wasn't what she was after. Now in his shell-like state detesting to have anything to do with her, she was willing to do anything to keep him, to have him in her life. She realised she couldn't and didn't want Squall to not be a part of her life, she wanted to share her moments with him and she wanted him to share his moments with her. She wanted to feel him embrace her, to stroke her face and hold her in a lock in his strong muscled arms. She wanted him so badly in that moment and she wanted to hold him and never let him go. _I love him._

"I heard you talking to Ellone Friday night. I know how you feel about me and I feel the same way." She finally revealed in a little louder than a whisper.

Squall stood stiff with his jaws locked. _So she did hear._ This made it harder for him, he wished he had never had that conversation. He made eye contact with Rinoa now, she was in the brink of spilling her tears. It was hurting him to see that he was cause of her sadness, but he couldn't let himself get attached to her, she was like poison for him and she would only lead to his destruction. He wouldn't let the tears be a trick for him to fall back into dependency. He just shook his head.

"Squall…" She breathed again steadying her herself, she realised her body was very close to his, her eyes were inches away from his lips. She bit her lip at their closeness and at how close she was of losing him. She couldn't let that happen, she needed him, she wanted him and loved him too much to let it happen.

"Squall…" She repeated, he didn't look at her. "I love you." She swallowed again, her breathing was still coming in short rasps and the tears, the tears were brimming to the top almost like a steel kettle whistling at boiling point.

He looked at her directly in the eyes, she was inches away from him, it killed his heart but he couldn't let it happen. happiness was immediately thrust into him when she spoke the words he wanted to hear. _"She likes you just as much as you like her."_ Came Seifer's voice from the call last night, it was true, this whole time she did love him. But it was too late.

"I don't love you." He lied.

The tears escaped, each one quickly following the other as they made their way down her soft eyelashes falling onto the smooth warmth of her cheeks. From there they all descended down, each streak paving the direction for the others to follow. They slid down her cheek in ease, the left tears racing the right, each racing to make it to her chin where they'd jump off meeting their end.

She backed away from him. She turned. And hastily made her way out of his room and into hers, shutting the door and sliding down to the floor with her head resting on her knees. The tears started again followed by the sobs that escaped her mouth.

Squall turned back to his desk leaning in and fixing his books busily. The polished oak desk was normally clad with books open and unopened, but now he had them all neatly pushed back standing against the wall. The front of the desk was all but clear. Tears stained the desk, they were small tears, only three droplets shedding a private amount of hurt.

Squall sniffed and wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, turned off the lights and got into bed.

* * *

**I hope this chapter was as upsetting as i intended it to, i remember writing this about 3 weeks ago and thought i had achieved some form of heartbreak on Rinoa's side. The next chapter will see some changes, but dont worry there will be more Squinoa, i wouldn't do that to you guys.  
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, and thank you to ALL those people who reviewed last time! Especially GrimReaper1989 and MonMonCandie!**


	11. Rough Divide vs No Mercy

**Sorry for leaving you on such a cliff-hanger, hehe, although I did have fun leaving you all on the edge of your seats.  
I think the break in chapter 10 was good as it acted as an intermission, but i should warn you that there may be more breaks in my updating simply because i'm not entirely happy with chapter 14+ - yes i am very ahead. So that means, if you want quick updates, REVIEW!**

I should mention there is a small parody at the end, you dont have to read it - it doesnt effect the storyline. Its just some fun me and n9neSTAR were having, its our attempt at self-inserts (which by the way, we think is a bit lame - hence the parody). Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Rough Divide vs. No Mercy**

Quistis was waiting in the library, it was only 8:35am but she thought she'd get there early so not make Rinoa wait in case the girl had gotten to school before her. She had the letter in her bag, which she could have taken out to keep ready, but it meant the less time she would spend with Rinoa as she would be expected to quickly hand it over.

She was looking through the tall book shelves and spotted a book, it was a fantasy genre called The Sorceress's Knight which Seifer was fond of when he was young. Her thoughts went back to the day before in the café where Seifer confessed his feelings. She was surprised that she didn't spot it herself; she always knew Seifer paid her extra attention; but she always thought it was because he respected her, how he respected Fujin.

She hoped it wasn't a rebound sense of feeling, but now knowing Seifer took a keen interest in her, she wasn't too upset over the rejection from Squall. The more she thought about it, the more she realised she really did waste her efforts; she should have given up the first time he rejected her. Seifer came back to her thoughts and she couldn't help the smile that crept up to her face which she tried to hide by pressing lips together. _Guess I am moving on._ She thought happily.

* * *

Rinoa jumped out of Squall's Audi chucking her bag over her shoulder and quickly made her way towards the school building without looking back. The car ride was completely silent as he drove her to school, only their breathing could be heard.

Now at the school neither made any recognition of each other walking their separate ways as if they never knew the other existed.

Rinoa walked down the corridor to the Library her face completely straight lacking any emotion. She had her sunglasses on as her eyes were bloodshot from the excessive crying she had been doing night before. When she woke up that morning feeling hollow and dejected she decided that she just wouldn't care. If Squall didn't want her friendship she wouldn't beg him for his. She would go on as if he didn't exist. She could do that, _If I could live 17 years of my life without him, I can continue for the rest of it._

Even though she kept repeating these thoughts she still felt hollow and miserable over it, she was hurt, he had hurt her and she didn't want him to do it again. She had to promise herself that she wouldn't put herself in a position where she would care for someone to the extent that she would get hurt in the process.

She walked into the library and spotted Quistis immediately. She found it funny that she spent the whole of Sunday morning being annoyed at her cousin for what had happened, yet here she was now, not bothered to care in the slightest. She had already lost Squall, she realised she didn't want to lose anyone else. _Guess the promise was binding after all._

"Rinoa, hey!" Quistis said trying to sound cheerful hoping her mood might project onto her cousin whose face couldn't get any straighter than ruler.

"You have my letter?" She asked not bothering with greetings.

Quistis was deflated immediately, she felt stupid for thinking that Rinoa would just go on like normal after what had happened at Selphie's party.

"Yeah, it's in my bag." She said taking her bag and fishing through it. She handed it over and watched as Rinoa took it and started turning away.

"Wait, Rinoa. Erm I was thinking maybe we could walk together?" Quistis said and immediately regretted how lame she sounded.

"I'm going to the geography building; you have Computing on this floor." Rinoa stated while still walking.

"Yeah I don't mind, I need the exercise with all the snacking I've been doing." Quistis attempted at a joke laughing nervously.

Rinoa just kept walking out of the library and down the corridor. She was making her way out of the main building towards the lawn that took her to the small huts that were part of the campus. Classes were about to start in less than 10 minutes and students were wondering around aimlessly in the courtyard.

A group of athletes were goofing around chucking a football at each other, one boy accidentally backed into Rinoa on his way, knocking her glasses slightly bringing them down to her nose exposing her bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry." He muttered and ran off with the ball in his hands.

She reassembled the glasses and continued to walk until she felt a strong hand on her arm. She turned to find Quistis, a worried look on her face. The blonde reached over and took off her sunglasses.

"Rin, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"Its nothing" She lied averting the same eyes that exposed her a few seconds ago.

"It's not 'nothing', tell me. Look I'm really sorry for what I did to you, and I'll grovel later, but for now please see me as your cousin and tell me what happened." Quistis pleaded.

Rinoa's eyes brimmed with tears again, she didn't want them to; when they brimmed with tears it meant she cared. She didn't want to care for Squall, she wanted to be rid of him, she wanted to be rid of the hurt she felt, she wanted to be rid of the love she still felt for him.

"Look, I have lessons now; I'll meet you at break. I'll tell you then." She smiled and walked off.

Quistis just nodded and stood watching the girl go. She couldn't think of what could have made the girl's eyes so bloodshot and dark. Again the feeling of guilt was filling her gut as she hoped it had nothing to do with Squall.

* * *

"…is a type of what cell, Seifer?" Miss Lulu asked looking at Seifer sitting in the far end of the class.

"White blood cell." Seifer replied not very interested. The class were listening to Miss Lulu drone on about Phagocytes. Seifer tried to keep his concentration but his mind kept wondering to the events over the weekend and his eyes kept wondering over to Squall's still body sitting next to him.

"Good. So we know that a phagocyte recognises the antigens on a pathogen…" The teacher kept explaining while the students wrote hurriedly in their exercise books. "A lysosome fuses with the phagocyte vacuole, so the enzymes break down the pathogen."

Seifer took a break from his writing and looked up at Squall. The brunette still hadn't moved. His eyes were still fixated on his paper that had nothing written on it. He was surprised the teacher hadn't noticed.

"… then presents the pathogen's antigens. It sticks the antigens on its surface to activate other immune system cells, so it is also called a what, Squall… Squall?" The older woman tried to get the young boy's attention.

"Dude." Zell whispered poking Squall's back with his pen. The brunette lifted his head from the staring competition he was having with his empty notepad.

"Squall can you tell us what these cells are called?" The teacher repeated her question.

"Oh… antigen-presenting cells." He replied softly.

"Good." The teacher approved but with a careful eye, she continued lecturing and Squall repositioned his eyes thinking back to last night's events.

He hadn't meant for it to get that far, but he couldn't let her in like that. She messed up his mind, she messed up his feelings. Even though she was innocent of the bathroom incident, the mere thought of her betraying him sent his mind in an array of confusion and his heart in a deep void of pain. _How did I let myself get so close? I'm so stupid._ He was revelling in his stupidity of allowing her in to his thoughts and into his heart. He had never felt love for any other girl before, and now realising how it could quickly poison his mind and heart making him dependant on her, dependant on wanting her love, he didn't want these feelings. Of course she didn't hurt him, she just scared him. It was the idea that he had become so close to her; she had the power to make him crumble, she had the power to wound him, if she wanted to. She could place his heart on a silver platter, take a sharp knife and slice into it… and he'd let her.

"Ok class the bell will ring in a couple of minutes, but I want to announce your assignment partners now. You need to make sure you both devise a plan together, I will hand out a check list on all the content you should add to your assignments."

Squall looked up at the teacher; she was reading out names from a list for the assignment they needed to hand in. _At least this tonne of work will keep me busy._ He knew he needed a distraction at home to keep him away from Rinoa; it was difficult that she was currently living with him; he needed a reason to stay up in his room all day without looking inhospitable in front of the General.

"… Seifer and Bailey." Miss Lulu read out.

"Bloody hell!" Seifer cried out slamming his fist on his desk. Bailey was a very smart student that Seifer had the privilege of being paired with last year. The two didn't get along as Bailey's constant demands and lectures on Seifer's lack of involvement had the two nearly starting a civil war. He had, of course, last year approached her asking to be paired with her thinking it was an easy A and would have gotten his father off his back about his inconsistent grades. Little did he know, the small petite girl was a lot stronger than her appearance deceived others and didn't put up with his lack of effort.

Bailey turned to him glaring a look of pure hatred. "Shut up Almasy, you're not exactly the brightest achieving student here."

"I'm probably brighter than you will ever be, Shorty." He retorted.

"Pi-"

"Excuse me! This assignment is on cells, NOT on how well you get along with your peers. So suck it up and deal with it." Miss Lulu reprimanded from across the class room. "Now as for the rest of you… Squall and Zell… Sabrina and Dexter…"

Seifer looked over at Bailey still glaring at him while talking to her friend Sabrina who was muttering some sort of reassurance and casually throwing Seifer dirty looks. Deciding to taunt Bailey more he flipped her off making the girl's mouth fly open in shock by his sudden movement. He chuckled to himself and went back to packing his books into his bag. A sharp pain hit him across his cheek when he felt a sudden impact. Looking down on his desk sat a sky blue pencil; he looked up at the two girls giggling on the other side of the classroom. Sabrina was twirling an identical pencil around her fingers, a smirk across her face and her left eyebrow raised.

Cursing lightly to himself he grabbed his belongings and made his way to Zell and Squall remembering to pick up the sky blue pencil.

"Just come over to mine today and we'll work on it." Squall was talking to Zell as they made their way out of the class room.

"Sure." Zell complied.

"Squall, we need to talk." Seifer addressed the brunette.

"Don't feel like talking." Squall wasn't in the mood for a Rinoa lecture.

"Well then listen and I'll talk." Seifer countered back.

"Whatever."

Seifer just watched as Squall walked off not bothering to wait. He just shook his head and made his way to the cafeteria with Zell.

* * *

Rinoa looked around hoping not to bump into Squall in the cafeteria. She wanted to play it safe by sitting with Sarah but she couldn't find the girl anywhere in the large cafeteria. She spotted Selphie waving to her from one of the round tables next to the windows, only Irvine and Quistis were with her. Deciding it was safe she made her way to the group and sat down with her snack.

"Rinny how you doing?" Selphie asked placing a hug around her neck.

"I'm okay." She smiled lightly.

"I'm so sorry about Saturday I really tried calling you but your phone was turned off."

"Yeah I just needed space but I'm fine now."

"Well, here is your shirt and jacket back; you left them at mine." Selphie smiled sympathetically and handed her a bag with Rinoa's garments.

"Rin, you said we'd talk?" Quistis asked from across the table.

"Yeah, you know it's actually nothing." Rinoa tried to dissuade the blonde from further questioning her; she really didn't want to talk about Squall, especially with Irvine there.

"Rin, you look like you've been crying, tell us I'm… we're your friends." Quistis attempted. She felt like a hypocrite for saying that after what she had done. She wished she could turn back the clock and stop herself from her madness. She'd realised she had to do some major grovelling and making-up to get her cousin's trust back.

"Rinoa," Irvine called out to the girl, "if it's about Squall, Seifer called him and told him it was an accident. So I'm sure if you speak to him he'll be fine now."

She stared at all three of her friends, they didn't know the full story and she contemplated whether or not she should tell them. Would they agree with her? Or would they simply pat her back and tell her she fell in love with the wrong guy. Would Quistis still wear the same smile if she told her that she confessed her love to Squall, the one she promised she wouldn't go after?

"I know. Thing is I bumped into Squall yesterday and he… he told me he knew about the incident with Seifer being a mistake. But he still doesn't want anything to do with me." She slowly revealed to the three. Selphie gasped while Quistis frowned worriedly. _Damn what have I done?_ The blonde cursed at herself, she never thought her actions would result to this extent.

"Why?" Irvine asked perplexed at Squall's behaviour. It wasn't like the brunette to hold something against someone for a small mishap; Squall was taking things too far.

"I don't know, he just said that we weren't friendship material, whatever that means." She replied her gazed on her unopened granola bar. She could feel it now, that heaviness that settled in her chest whenever she thought or spoke about him for too long. She had that feeling all last night and now it was back again claiming residence in her weakened heart.

"That's dumb! He's being such an ass, what's the big deal?" Selphie burst out attracting attention from some students near their table.

"Look guys, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say thing." Rinoa said getting up from her chair and gathering her belongings. "I don't want this to be a big issue, if he doesn't want my friendship, that's his call. I don't care anymore."

"Of course we won't say anything," Irvine agreed, "right girls?" He looked at Selphie and Quistis; he knew they'd have a few tricks up their sleeves.

"But, this isn't fair, I don't understand why he's being such a-" Selphie tried to argue.

"Sephie, it's none of our business, Rinoa doesn't want it to be a big deal." Irvine explained.

The brunette girl just crossed her arms and nodded. Quistis got up from her chair ready to follow Rinoa. The two girls walked out of the cafeteria making their way to the large water fountain in the foyer.

"Rinoa I need to apologise. I shouldn't have posted that picture, I never knew it would lead to all this, I… I'm just so sorry." Her voice broke as she started crying. She sniffed and looked at the raven haired girl through her tears.

"Quisty, don't worry about it, what's done is done and to be honest I need all the friends I have right now. Look I need to apologise too." She took Quistis by the hand and led her to the fountain.

Once seated she faced the blonde ready to explain. "I wanted to apologise, I think the reason why you posted that picture, and the poll," Quistis looked at her in surprise, "yes I figured it was you, was probably because you felt insecure. And I am to blame for that."

"No Rinoa, you're not!" She tried arguing back.

"Hold on, let me explain myself." Rinoa said calmly. "See, although I made that promise, even when I made it I knew it was something I would regret. So instead I wanted to befriend Squall if I couldn't have anything else with him." She took a deep breath. She didn't want any skeletons in her closet. She forgave Quistis, she hoped the girl would also be forgiving.

"See, I did like him and the more I wasn't allowed to like him, the more I did, make sense?" She asked to which the other girl nodded. "Quistis, after what happened on Saturday I thought to myself that the promise was nullified. I was angry at you, so I thought that it was no longer in effect and I wanted to do whatever I could to keep Squall." She blinked hard; everything was a mess from such a small act.

Quistis listened patiently, she couldn't help thinking back to the promise, it was stupid now, and she shouldn't have made the girl promise to such a silly request.

"Rinoa I understand, and I'm glad you thought like that. I was stupid to make you promise such a thing." She said humbly.

"Quistis, hold on, you won't like me for this." Rinoa said averting her eyes guiltily. The blonde looked at her cautiously. "I thought everything was fine afterwards because Squall went back to acting normal. But it wasn't, that's when he told me he didn't want anything to do with me. So I told him I liked him." Rinoa further explained. The heaviness in her chest became greater, she wanted to stop talking about him, but she also wanted Quistis to know the truth, even if it meant nothing now.

"But he told me he didn't like me back." She concluded.

"This is so crazy!" The blonde shouted making the other girl jump. "Rinoa, I'm sorry but I am so glad he turned me down. I can't believe over some stupid bathroom incident he's acting like this. What is his problem? A week ago he kept making cow eyes at you and drooling when you walked past, and now he's acting like… like… argh!" She stood up for emphasis; she couldn't understand why he was being like that.

"Quistis," Rinoa stood up getting the girl's attention, "it doesn't matter, I wanted to apologise, not because I broke our promise. Quistis, even before this incident happened, when I was 'under' your promise" she made quotation marks with her fingers "when I knew you still liked him," She hesitated, _now or never,_ "Quistis I fell in love with him, and I'm pretty sure I tried to get him to feel the same way."

Quistis stared at her, she knew what her reaction would have been like if she had told her this a week ago, she'd probably have a fit and swear never to talk to her. But now she realised she made Rinoa promise something so futile. Whether or not she wanted it to happen, Rinoa still fell in love with Squall, and funnily and ironically now Quistis wasn't bothered by it.

"I just wanted to apologise…" She averted her eyes, the tears were back and she couldn't let them reappear.

"Rin, you don't need to apologise. That promise meant nothing; I was stupid to ask you to do that." She took the girl into a hug rubbing her back. "Maybe if we tell him how strongly you feel-"

"I told him." Rinoa broke from the hug and wiped her eyes. Quistis looked at the girl.

"And he?"

"He said he didn't feel the same way." At that moment the bell rang and the students around the foyer were making their way to their lessons.

"Look I gotta go; I'll see ya at lunch." Rinoa ran off to her lesson leaving Quistis still standing in the foyer.

_I have to do something, I need to fix this, it was my fault, now I gotta set it straight._

* * *

Seifer was making his way out of the gym following Xu, who had come in and told him there was an emergency call from his father.

"Er, Xu, the office is this way." Seifer said to the girl pointing to the opposite direction from the way the girl was leading him.

"I know, just follow me, I'll explain." Xu said still walking ahead past the lawn towards the back of the Gym.

Seifer followed and shortly reached the back of the huts to find Quistis waiting for him leaned back against the building wall.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously.

"Right, you didn't get a call, she wanted to talk to you. Quistis, don't make me do this ever again, I can't get fired over this, you know this job will be paying for my fees for Uni." Xu cautioned the blonde girl who nodded and said her thanks.

"Seifer, you need to help me." Quistis didn't bother with introductions she went straight to the point.

"Okay, what with?" He asked still cautious.

"Rinoa told Squall she loves him." She breathed out. "But he told her he didn't feel the same way and now he doesn't want anything to do with her."

Seifer looked her at through frowned eyes; he put his index finger and thumb to his lips thinking. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, she told me herself. Seifer we need to do something. This is all my fault!" She stamped her feet feeling like a six year old girl.

"But why would he tell her he didn't feel the same way?" He asked more to himself.

"I don't know, she said after Saturday he didn't want anything to do with her even though he knew she was innocent." Quistis said looking at the blond who was staring at the ground deep in thought. Realisation hit and he slowly shook his head. "What?" She asked.

"I know why he doesn't want anything to do with her, and believe me Quistis it is nothing you can change."

"How?" She asked deflated at his discouraging behaviour.

"Trust me, Squall will change himself, and if he doesn't, tell Rinoa I know some friends I can set her up – Ow!" He put a hand to the side of his head where she had just smacked him.

"Be serious!"

"I am! Quistis, Squall doesn't fall in love; its too much headache for him, don't you remember what happened when he lost his mum? It's a series of heartbreak and emotions that never pass; even though you cope afterwards, that feeling never leaves." Seifer spoke empathising with the brunette.

"But he doesn't love Rinoa, so why's he staying away from her? Because he's scared he's going to fall in love with her?" She asked only to answer her own questions.

"Ha-ha. No, because he's already in love with her." Seifer muttered.

"Wait, you just said he doesn't fall in love."

"I know, but he has now, it's the only possible explanation why he doesn't want anything to do with her. If I know anything, it's that Leonhart doesn't want to depend on her, I saw his face on Saturday; looked like he had a thousand daggers piercing through his heart."

The two were silent for a while. Quistis was in deep contemplation, she didn't want this to escalate even further but she had to fix what she started, there had to be a way.

"Seifer, we're going to fix this." She said looking up at him.

"Nah-uh! No way, I am _not_ getting involved." He shook his arms in front of her for emphasis.

"Seifer!" She put her hands on her hips giving him a stern look.

"No!" He enunciated slowly.

She took her hands off her hips and stepped close to him, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning into his lips, stopping before she touched them with hers.

"Seifer please?" She breathed against him pleadingly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her in closer. "We're so going to hell if this doesn't work out."

* * *

Squall made his way to the cafeteria with Zell, he wasn't hungry but thought he should check in with group although he hoped Rinoa wasn't there; he didn't want to deal with the awkwardness of being around her. Though a part of him wished she was, for that pleasure he got from seeing her. He missed her, he missed her smile, her giggles as they escaped from her mouth and the way she creased her nose when she found something funny. _Don't think about her._ He removed the thoughts from his head not letting himself fall into her poison.

* * *

Rinoa grabbed a coke off the open fridge and added it to her tray; although she had purchased a snack during break she didn't have the time to eat it and was over-due a proper meal.

After paying she made her way to Selphie's usual table spotting the rest of the gang minus Squall. Since he had dropped her off his morning she hadn't seen him, making school all the more bearable for her.

She had just reached the table when she saw Squall's tall muscled figure sit down next to Irvine pulling the chair towards the table. His head was down as he was straightening his sitting position, his soft brown hair covering his view. She stood still, she couldn't handle sitting on the same table as him. She looked around at the rest of the group who were eyeing her wishing for her to take a seat. But she couldn't. She stood there staring at him, feeling the heaviness deepen in her chest.

* * *

He looked up noticing an alien silence that descended on the table. They were all looking at him and looking at the figure standing next to the table. He looked. She stood there. Her mouth was slightly open as she stared at him through those sad chocolate brown eyes that once danced with laughter and excitement.

She turned and walked off towards a far table out of sight.

He looked to the rest of his companions sitting in silence not knowing what to say. Selphie, he could tell was fuming, she sat arms cross not looking at him. But he knew the fumes were directed to him. Irvine just played around with his fries pretending not to have noticed anything while Zell quietly ate his hot dog. Quistis was leaning with her back against Seifer's chest, his arm around her; she was playing with his fingers refusing to acknowledge Squall. Only Seifer looked at him, but out of disappointment.

"Screw this" Squall said softly and pushed his chair back making his way out of the cafeteria.

Once in the quiet corridor he heard Seifer call out to him.

* * *

Rinoa looked up as she saw Quistis shout out to Seifer who was busy chasing after Squall. She wondered what had happened after she left. Quistis looked at her and she knew something was about to happen. Getting up she followed Quistis's retreating body out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"Puberty boy, stop being so emo and listen to what I gotta say." Seifer shouted once he reached the quiet and desolate corridor grabbing Squall's arm forcing him to turn around.

"Don't touch me you–"

"You what?" Seifer interrupted.

"What the hell do you thinking your playing at?" Squall angrily pushed him back.

"Why are you being such an ass to her? She doesn't deserve your crap." Seifer spat at him.

"Well she doesn't have to; she's staying out of my way and I'm staying out of her's." Squall retorted walking away.

"Don't walk away from me." Seifer yelled pushing him onto the blue lockers lined-up against the wall. "You were the one that had a fit over the idea of me and her, and now what? You just chose not be involved with her after she's fallen in love with you?"

Squall darted his eyes at Seifer, _How did he know?_ He was breathing hard; it wasn't anyone's business why he didn't want any involvement with Rinoa.

"You're so up yourself! She did nothing! Why do you have to be such a dog to her?" Seifer angrily shouted.

"If I don't want anything to do with her that's my business, if you love her so much you go be with her."

* * *

The two girl's reached the corridor along with Selphie, Irvine and Zell where Seifer and Squall were verbally sparring. Neither saw the group approach nor realised they were standing there.

"She doesn't love me; she loves you and bloody hell I don't know why! You're such a moron; I don't even know what she sees in you." Seifer kept shouting.

He didn't have to listen to this, he didn't need to be told that he was hurting her, he knew he was. He couldn't help it; if he didn't hurt her now, they'd both be hurt in the long run.

"She's in love with you, and you reject her after making puppy-dog eyes at her since she's been here?" Seifer looked at Squall who stood mute head down, refusing to make eye contact. "Do you really think she'd hurt you? She thinks the world of you Leonhart, your respect. She felt degraded at Selphie's party, not because of me seeing her, but because of the look on your face. THAT'S what is important to her; YOU and your bloody opinion of her!" He raised his voice again angry that the boy wouldn't reply.

"I don't need your psychoanalysis crap!" Squall countered back and began to walk away.

"Leonhart! Don't-" Seifer pulled him back again pushing him up against the lockers, he had Squall's shirt wrap around his fists refusing to let go. "Admit why you're doing this to her!"

"Why? It has nothing to do with you!" Squall spat back, he was boiling with anger now; Seifer was overstepping the marker.

"She loves you, she deserves better!"

"I don't care!"

"You do care! Otherwise you wouldn't going through the trouble keeping her away from you, so why? WHY?"

"Because I love her back ok, OK?" Squall shouted back surprised by his own outrage, if Seifer didn't let go of him now he'd go overboard.

"If you love her, then you'd show it." Seifer said through clenched teeth.

"Let, go, of, me." Squall spoke in a deep low tone, he put his hands on the grasp Seifer had on him.

"Bloody hell Leonhart, she's not mum, your mum _died_, she didn't abandon you so stop treating Rinoa like she's guilty of just that!"

"Argh!" Squall pushed Seifer back, the mention of his troubles bringing him to the edge. He hit Seifer across the face, punching the blond on his right cheek to the right side of his nose causing it to bleed.

Seifer stumbled slightly and regained his balance, he looked at the brunette and rushed for him throwing a punch but missing. Squall ducked, so Seifer used his left hand to pick him up by the collar and laid the missed punch onto his right cheek. Freeing himself from Seifer's grip he pushed the blond against the wall kneeing him in the stomach but not before the blond threw another punch which landed on Squall's left eyebrow.

The group witnessing the fight ensue rushed to break the two boys free.

"Seifer stop!" Quistis called out running in her heels. Rinoa who was faster reached the two first grabbing Squall by the shoulder and trying to get him away from Seifer, stopping this futile argument.

"Dude stop it!" Zell shouted just about reaching the group with Irvine closely behind.

"Let go of me!" Squall shouted and backhand slapped the figure pulling at his shoulder.

He looked down eyes wide in shock, his mouth wide open, the rage in him completely gone and replaced with sickness and guilt as Rinoa sat on the floor her hand on her left cheek that was hastily growing redder by the second. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at him in shock.

"Rinny!" Selphie shouted running to the girl helping her up onto her feet. Quistis made her way trying to force the hand away from her cheek to inspect it but the girl just lowered her head letting her tears fall to the floor.

He didn't know what to do, but he needed to check if she was alright. "Rinoa, I didn't mean…" He walked towards her his hand raised reaching out to her.

She looked up at the hand and immediately moved back. "Don't touch me!" She cried back through her tears and allowed the two girls to help her out of the corridor.

"Nice going you prick!" Seifer spat and followed the girls along with Zell and Irvine.

He just stood there unable to move, he didn't mean to hit her; he didn't even know she was there. All this time he was scared she'd hurt him, that the idea of losing her would be unbearable for him and he wouldn't be able to handle it. Instead he had hurt her and the feeling that was pumping into him now, the feeling of heaviness that filled his chest, knowing that one simple ignorant act could never be erased. The heaviness of regret, remorse and shame, the heaviness of knowing that the love she had for him, was probably shattered by his actions.

He looked down at his hand; it looked clean, but it felt dirty.

_What have I done?_ He slumped down against the wall, and let his head fall looking down at the floor in shame. He looked at his hand again, and that's when he noticed it. On the smooth edge of his Griever ring ran a smear of fresh blood.

**

* * *

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Parody - The One with the Self Inserts

Seifer logged onto one of the terminals in the Library thinking he'd quickly get some work done before his shift at the Mall. He wasn't bothered to work after the incident that took place at lunch, his mind kept reeling to Squall's hand smacking Rinoa away. He knew it was an accident, but he wasn't sure if Rinoa would see it that way. She had cried in the bathroom while Quistis wiped her up. She refused to go to the infirmary to get the cut checked and refused to allow Quistis to take her to her Dad's villa. She had returned to her lessons after wiping her face and allowing Selphie to apply a plaster on her cheek. He had joked and called her Nelly, but she wasn't in a joking mood and made her way to her Chemistry lesson quietly.

He logged into the school's chat room to see if anyone had any tips on the assignment. He chuckled to himself when he saw the message from Bailey appear. He looked up from his terminal and there she was at the far end of the Library next to her friend. Bailey's medium blonde hair with vivid blue roots matching the immaculately applied blue eye make-up stood out from the rest of the crowd. Sabrina was similar only with black hair and almond shaped eyes, she resembled Rinoa slightly what with the same complexion and chocolate brown eyes minus the natural copper highlights, and the addition of a nose piercing. She was a couple of inches taller than Bailey but both dressed in complete black, making themselves look like a Goths, their bubbly and energetic personalities proving otherwise. Bailey looked at him expectantly waiting for him to reply in the chat room.

**Hyperion9999**: YES woman! I will get it done, why'd you think I logged on?

**n9neSTAR**: Wasting time?

**Niqsta**: Maybe he's writing his fanfic lol

**n9neSTAR**: LOL! Talk about lame!

**Niqsta**: Yeah, as lame as self inserts *looks sheepishly*

**Hyperion9999**: Lol you're so funny *rolls eyes* and I wrote that stuff when I was like 14

**n9neSTAR**: How could we forget!

**Niqsta**: So Seifer, you still want be the Sorceress's knight?

**Hyperion9999**: Do you still cosplay as Aonir?

**Niqsta**: No!

**Hyperion9999**: Well there's your answer nerd.

**n9neSTAR**: Don't call her a nerd, at least she'll get somewhere in life!

**Hyperion9999**: Don't you losers even know how to stick up for yourself? You're always backing each over up; seriously fight your own battles.

**Niqsta**: You're only saying that because you have no friends, you're always fighting with Squall.

**n9neSTAR**: Yeah that's how you got your disgusting scars.

**Hyperion9999**: You guys don't know ****, stop ****ing me off.

**n9neSTAR**: What are you going to do? Use your limit break on us Mr. Knight?

**Niqsta**: LOL limit break.

**Hyperion9999**: Just keep out of my way or you'll be sorry.

**n9neSTAR**: Oh yeah? What are you planning to have us assassinated?

**n9neSTAR **has been Blocked

**Niqsta** has been Blocked.

Seifer closed the browser and opened up a fresh one starting his research. He tried his best to stay focused but occasionally he'd go back to the situation with Squall. He couldn't understand why Squall still refused to let Rinoa in, he knew it had something to do with his mother. It was evident when Squall had started throwing punches, he just didn't know Squall was that seriously troubled and scared of getting close to someone.

Seifer sighed and looked at the small digital clock on his screen, it was 4:30, he had to get ready and head for work. He looked up to see Bailey and Sabrina making their way out of the library. He really didn't like those two, he found them irritatingly annoying. As he packed his things he noticed the pencil he was using, a sky blue pencil. A smile crept up to his face.

He made his way out of the Library quickly and headed to the foyer. There were Bailey and Sabrina sitting down on the fountain edge talking and presumably waiting for Sabrina's brother Dexter to turn up.

He walked up to the two girl's confidently, a broad smile on his face.

"Bailey," He spoke softly, the two girls looked up at him curiously, "I just wanted to apologise for the way I spoke to you and I'm sorry about my lack of effort in the assignment. I promise I'll have it done by Wednesday." He smiled again sweetly.

"Er, Ok." She eyed him suspiciously.

"So you guys wanna ride or something?" He asked but only out of politeness, he hoped they would say no.

"No, Sabrina's got her car we're just waiting for her brother and a few friends to turn up before we head to the Mall."

"Ok cool, well see ya later." He said walking off.

"See ya." They both said in unison.

"Oh I almost forgot," he said taking out the sky blue pencil, "you might want this back." He chuckled handing Sabrina back the pencil.

"Oh, thanks." She replied blushing taking the pencil guiltily.

"Eww, I think you both just sat on bird poo!" Seifer cried scrunching his face and looking at the fountain edge.

"Where!" Both girls jumped and turned around looking at the fountain edge where they had been sitting comparing it to their bottoms. Only it was completely clean, not any form of dirt on sight.

Seifer smirked and laid one hand behind each girl's back and pushed with little effort forcing both girls into the icy fountain water.

He burst out laughing as both girl's shrieked from the coldness, flapping around trying to stable themselves but failing and falling over and over again and again.

"And that ladies, is how the Sorceress's Knight strikes back!" He chuckled and walked off feeling very happy with himself. _Ah, that never gets old._

**

* * *

**

Hope you liked both the chapter and the parody, again it was just a bit of humour at self-inserts. Also if you can answer this question i'll send you a long preview of next week's chapter.  
Q: There are two scenes which mirror n9neSTAR's story 'From Riches to Fame'. Which scenes were they and in which chapter can they be found (in her story)?

**Other than that PLEASE REVIEW!**


	12. Regret Remorse Repercussions

**Wow, i asked a question and i only got one reply. I'm thinking my readers dont like this interactive play. Fine!**

**This chapter is a bit shorter than my previous ones.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 12 – Regret, Remorse and Repercussions

Seifer walked in through his front door tiredly kicking off his shoes at the corner of the corridor. He could smell his mum's baking going on in the kitchen.

"Ma, I'm home." He called out to her.

"Hello dear, how was school?" Edea asked walking in to the hallway to meet him. Even though she had only seen him a couple of hours ago she took him into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"It was fine." He half told the truth.

"Oh dear, what happened to your cheek; it's all bruised!" She cupped his face in her hands and inspected it.

"It's nothing Ma." He tried to dissuade her from any thoughts.

"Puts some ice on it. Oh you and Squall aren't fighting again are you?" She asked hands on hips. "After the scar you both gave each other I thought all this nonsense was over?"

"It was nothing, we were just mucking around and he accidentally bumped me." He lied.

She didn't believe him, she just nodded her head and walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want dinner now sweetie?" She asked taking her oven mitts out.

"Nah I'm okay" He started making his way upstairs.

"How about a sandwich then?" She asked.

"Nah Ma, I ate at school." He replied at the top of the stairs. He leaned over the banister knowing she'd ask if he'd like anything else.

"I can make you some fruit salad if you like?"

"I'm okay Ma, I'm going to get started on my work" He said and closed his door.

He made his way over to his computer after chucking his jacket on his bed and dumping his school bag on the floor. He logged in thinking he'd quickly get some work done before his shift at the Mall. He wasn't bothered to work after the incident that took place at lunch, his mind kept reeling to Squall's hand smacking Rinoa away. He knew it was an accident, but he wasn't sure if Rinoa would see it that way. She had cried in the bathroom while Quistis wiped her up. She refused to go to the infirmary to get the cut checked and refused to allow Quistis to take her to her Dad's villa, but promising to let Seifer drop her off outside the Villa Estates Square. She had returned to her lessons after wiping her face and allowing Selphie to apply a plaster on her cheek. He had joked and called her Nelly, but she wasn't in a joking mood and made her way to her Chemistry lesson quietly.

Seifer opened up a fresh browser starting his research. He tried his best to stay focused but occasionally he'd go back to the situation with Squall. He couldn't understand why Squall still refused to let Rinoa in, he knew it had something to do with his mother. It was evident when Squall had started throwing punches, he just didn't know Squall was that seriously troubled and scared of getting close to someone.

* * *

Quistis sat on her bed with her legs outstretched; she took her phone from the bedside table and dialled in Seifer's number. She waited four rings and then heard the click as it connected.

"Hey gorgeous." Came his smooth reply.

"Right back at ya." She giggled back. "You sound like Irvine."

"So do you." He teased.

"What you're doing?" She asked bored.

"Just on my way to work, what about you?"

"Oh yeah you work Monday evenings, don't you get tired?" She asked playing with her necklace.

"Yeah I do, but my Dad will moan otherwise." His reply came back. She could hear the sounds of cars rush by and guessed he had reached the town now.

"Oh and here I was, wanting to know if you wanted to come by." She teased him with a smile on her face.

"Hmm, well I guess I can get off earlier if the offer is still available?"

"It is." She giggled. She smiled feeling all giddy. She would never have believed it if someone had said to her Seifer was lusting after her, and that she would actually want his attention. A month ago she was pining on Squall yet here she was finding romance in a long time companion.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked at her sudden quietness.

"I feel guilty Seif." She spoke softly. "I mean, I completely messed up Rinoa and Squall's chances for my own desires and here I am thrilled at 'us'."

"Us?" Seifer teased.

"You know what I mean." She said rolling onto her stomach.

"Nah, could you elaborate?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, figure it out for yourself. Seifer, I don't know what to do, how am I going to make this up to Rinoa?"

"I don't know, I don't think she expects anything."

"Still, I can't help but feel bad for what happened today."

"If anyone should feel bad it's me. I made him break, I felt like crap when she got involved." His voice came through with such guilt.

"Seif, it's not your fault. There's just so much drama in all this. It was so unnecessary."

"I know, but if I hadn't of said those things, he wouldn't of gotten mad, and she wouldn't of gotten in the way. I didn't even see you guys approach."

"Yeah you guys were pretty loud; I was surprise none of the teachers came out to investigate." She thought out loud.

"Yeah, they're only good for investigating who has hall passes. When someone's hurt they're not in sight." She could hear his voice bitter. She knew he was feeling guilty over the incident but truth was it was no one's fault. It was just something that happened, not even Squall was to blame.

"Seifer, you didn't start this, I did." She looked at herself from across the room in the long length mirror by her window. "And no matter how much you'll tell me it's not my fault, it is. I wish I never made her agree to that damn promise."

* * *

Squall stood outside Rinoa's closed door. He wanted to knock and see if she'd let him in but was afraid she'd get mad at him and slam the door in his face.

He was remorseful, he couldn't believe he'd hit her. He hadn't meant to, he didn't know who was behind him, all he saw was red. He cursed Seifer for mentioning his mother, for making him realise his fears were all down to his phobia of being hurt by someone he loved. Seifer was right, it wasn't his mother fault; she hadn't abandoned him, well not intentionally. Yet he felt getting close to Rinoa would lead him to the same heartache he felt when he had lost Raine.

He put his fist to her door daring himself to knock.

* * *

Rinoa sat on the floor leaned against her bedroom door. She had her knees up hugging them for support. Once Seifer had dropped her off at the Villa Estate Square she had walked up the rest of the ten minute walk to the Loire's home. Once at the house she had rung on the doorbell and was pleased that Ellone had answered, yet displeased that the girl was on her way to a society meeting.

She had run up the stairs and locked herself in her room before Squall got home. She saw him before she left the school, waiting outside her locker. She was still angry with him and decided that she'd have to pick up her books tomorrow to save the hassle of meeting with him.

She was starving now; dinner wouldn't be served until another two hours and she hadn't eaten anything since the bowl of chocolate hoops she downed while her father was still in the kitchen during breakfast. Missing lunch because of the fight between Squall and Seifer was a bad idea and now her stomach took every ounce of her leftover energy to keep reminding her.

_My bar!_ She jumped up remembering she had bought a granola bar during break and rushed to her bag to retrieve it. Feeling happy with herself she ripped open the packet and took a huge bite, finishing the sweet bar within three bites.

Yet it didn't suffice her, she was still hungry and there was no other way of getting food unless she left her prison.

Sighing she sat on her bed looking out of the window onto the wide beach below her. She wanted to go outside for a walk, but was too scared to leave her room. She was too scared to bump into Squall, not because of what he might do to her, but because she didn't know what she'd say to him.

* * *

"Squall!" Laguna called out to him.

Squall lowered his fist closing his eyes and cursing Laguna for the bad timing. He turned and made his way down the stairs.

"Here, I went ahead and ordered these prospectuses for you. There's an application form at the back so fill it in and I'll make sure that the Dean personally handles it." Laguna offered his son the Esthar Central University pack.

Squall took the pack hesitantly; yesterday he was sure of going, today he was in doubts again. He thanked his father quietly and returned upstairs. He glanced at Rinoa's door before walking in to his own.

* * *

Rinoa made her way downstairs slowly; she could hear talking in the dining room and the sound of cutlery being moved about. She walked past the corridor and peeked into the dining room seeing Ellone setting the table along with her father and Laguna. Squall wasn't anywhere in sight and she released a breath for relief.

The kitchen door to her left opened and she turned her head surprised only to be faced with Squall holding a bowl of cooked vegetables in his hand equally shocked at her arrival. She looked away and hurriedly made her way into the dining room feeling safer in the company of the rest of the family.

They sat around again, this time Rinoa choosing to sit closer to her father and the furthest away from Squall. Her father took on the role of asking how their day at school was and when the trip to Shumi Village was planned.

"Well I thought the General and I should make an announcement." Laguna spoke up. "Friday we will be making a press conference regarding the situation with Esthar and Galbadia, it looks like we're actually moving ahead with the plans."

"Good!" Ellone said relieved. "I hate this whole war nonsense."

Rinoa smiled glad that something was being done, she had to agree with Ellone, a war free world was something she wished for and she hoped this treaty would be as effective as they all wished.

"Dear, what happened to your cheek?" Caraway asked moving his head towards her getting a closer look.

Squall looked up at Rinoa waiting for her reply. "Oh, I had a zit which I popped but then pus came out… and I picked at it when it was dry… and-"

"Alright, enough of the details, we are eating." Caraway replied disapprovingly.

"Oh, right, sorry." She said looking at Ellone who just giggled.

Squall just kept staring; he wanted to own up to his actions. He wanted to tell them it wasn't a zit, that he had hurt her. Even if it was accidental, he had still hurt her, it was still his hand that made contact with her cheek, and it was his ring that grazed across her smooth delicate skin.

Rinoa was very hungry and ate quickly hoping to be excused to allow her time to run up and lock herself in her room again. She felt awkward around Squall now, she didn't know how to act or feel around him. But at the same time, _Why do I still feel the same way? Because he didn't mean it._ She knew the truth, he didn't mean to hit her, he hadn't known she was there. What surprised her more was his bigger revelation; he **did** love her, why he lied to her was still confusing, but his outburst proved his true feelings.

The doorbell rang suddenly and the two families looked at each other confused.

"Who could that be?" Laguna asked getting up making his way out of the dining room and to the front door.

Rinoa stole a glance at Squall and immediately regretted it. He was looking at her; he was looking at her cheek. She just stared at her food, moving them about now unable to eat knowing he was watching.

"Sup Mr Loire!" Came Zell's voice from the front entrance.

_Oh crap!_ Squall thought to himself. He remembered back to the conversation he had with Zell about their assignment in their Biology lesson. At the time he had told Zell to come over as a distraction from Rinoa but forgot the dire detail that she was staying with him. He jumped off his seat to stop Zell from entering, knocking over a chair whilst getting up.

"Zell what brings you here, now?" Laguna's voice called over, "We're in the middle of dinner."

"Oh sweet, Ma's gone over to the lil' rascal's house, and I didn't really fancy fish. Anyways Squall and I gotta do our Bio assignment as well." Zell replied making his way to the dining area.

"Ah, Zell actually-" Laguna tried to stop the boy from going any further but failed as he already walked in.

"Yo Squall, you in… here… hey Rinoa." He said very confused.

"Hi." She meekly replied red faced.

* * *

"Whoa whoa whoa. So lemme get this straight, your father is General Caraway, the General Fury Caraway of Galbadia," Zell was asking Rinoa across the dinner table who nodded, "And you're staying with Squall because of something I'm not classified to know." He asked which the people around the dinner table nodded. "But you moved here because the press aren't allowed to know about you?"

"No, they are, but we don't want them to." Rinoa replied correcting him.

"And you're not actually working for Timber Maniacs?"

"I used to, but not anymore." Laguna replied.

"Ok, but now you work in Esthar?" Zell continued.

"Yes."

"But again, I'm not classified to know what as."

"Yes." Laguna answered again.

"And you guys are definitely not cousins." He asked looking at Rinoa and Squall.

"No." They both said in unison somewhat perplexed at the last question.

"Oh, well I'm happy you guys trust me." Zell said laughing. "If it were me, I would have lied and said I was related to the General and he was here for my Mum's birthday." He continued to laugh.

The people around him looked at each other. They all realised, for two families who were suppose to be running a country, it would have been easier to do just that. Ellone giggled and Rinoa followed laughing at their honesty. In some sense she was glad she didn't have to lie to Zell, of course they didn't tell him the complete truth, but she didn't have to keep a cover any longer. She only wished Zell's attitude towards her wouldn't change.

"Okay," Zell said still processing everything. "So, as long as I don't spill anything I'm not going to be executed by Galbadian law right?"

General Caraway laughed. "Son, as long as you don't spill anything you're safe. Why don't you kids go upstairs and we'll get things cleared for a change?" He offered.

* * *

Quistis sat on the couch flipping through the different channels uninterested. Her phone went off and she made a grab for it thinking it was Seifer calling to let her know he got off early. Her expression changed however as she saw the name of the caller highlighted.

"Hey Rinny, how you feeling?"

"Hey, I'm okay, you guys gotta stop worrying." She sounded a bit more lively.

"Rin, is there anything I can do?" Quistis asked sincerely.

"No. Don't worry about it, it's just a phase, we'll all get over it."

"Yeah but this is all my fault, I shouldn't have made you promise that stupid…" She put her chin on her free hand and stared at her lap.

"Quisty, c'mon don't do that. Look, it's a silly thing to fight over, and I made that promise when I first got here. It's not like either of us knew this would happen." Rinoa comforted the girl.  
She couldn't be bothered to fight any longer, she just wanted it all to stop, to go back to the way it was the first week she arrived, the way she imagined it would be. Rinoa laughed to herself, when she had first arrived she thought it would be fun staying with her cousin, like having a sister. She'd go to school and meet new people and have all kinds of friends. She never guessed she'd fall in love and have her heart broken all in the space of a couple of months.

"Rinoa, you do know he didn't know it was you? I've seen Squall fight before, he's exactly like Seifer; all they see is blood." Quistis spoke softly.

"I know." She replied sadly.

"He probably thought it was Zell or Irvine trying to pry him away from Seifer, I don't think he knew you'd even be there."

Rinoa breathed in deep and exhaled. She knew the truth, she just wasn't so sure what she should do or how she should feel now. Everything had become so complicated.

"Anyways, I thought you should know is all." Quistis smiled though she was aware the other girl couldn't see it.

"I know. Quisty, I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do, or how I am supposed to feel." Rinoa confessed.

"Well, how do you feel?"

"I still… you know… love him." She replied embarrassed.

Quistis giggled, surprising herself. "I can't believe I'm actually finding you cute, you're like a little school girl with a crush."

"I can't believe I'm actually telling you I love him and you're not strangling me." Rinoa joked.

"Hey!" Quistis pretended to be offended. "But on a serious note, you heard him right? You heard him say he loved you."

"Yeah I heard, just not sure how much. I mean if he does, what's with his attitude and behaviour?" Rinoa replied bitterly.

"I think he's just scared after losing his mum. He doesn't want to get hurt again." She tried making Rinoa understand Squall's predicament.

"Yeah, well me and him both."

Quitis remained quiet now; she knew she shouldn't get involved, every time she did something bad happened. She needed to just resist the temptation and let the ship set sail. She realised she needed to let Rinoa and Squall solve their own problems.

"Oh, that reminds me, I can't believe I kept forgetting to ask!" Rinoa said excitedly. "What is up with you and Seifer? I saw how you were leaning all over him during lunch."

Quistis grinned through the phone, "Yeah, we're together, kinda, sorta, definitely. Hehe." She laughed.

"Since when?" Rinoa asked still shocked.

"Erm, Sunday… I think. Well that's when he told me he liked me, I swear I never even clocked on. Anyways when we left this café we were eating at, I thought to myself: why not? So I held his hand as we walked home." She reiterated the story feeling happy for herself, yet still in disdain for Rinoa's loss.

"Aww that's sweet."

"Yeah, but still, not fair is it?"

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked, although she knew where the question was heading.

"Well it's not fair that I get my Prince Charming after what I did to you."

"Quistis, for the last time, get over it! Look I'm not bothered anymore, what's happening with me and Squall is beyond your control. He didn't mean to hit me, but he did mean to say those things. And… he'll have to face the repercussions for his actions."

"I'm still sorry though." Quistis spoke softly again not being rid of the guilt she felt.

"So am I." She thought deeply, she just wanted to be rid of the trial she was going through. "So… does that mean I can start my own poll about you and Seifer now?"

Quistis groaned closing her eyes and putting her head down laughing along with Rinoa's giggles through the phone.

* * *

Rinoa sat on her bed leaning against the headrest. She had ended the call with Quistis when she heard Zell and Squall walking up to Squall's room next door to work on their assignment. Zell had asked her to join them but she declined saying she needed the rest. She wanted to take him up on the offer, she wanted to go back to normal, but things weren't normal. She needed answers from Squall, but at the same time was too upset by the turn of events that she wasn't ready to face him.

She hadn't imagined that telling Squall she loved him would have led to all this. Nor did she imagine that he'd whacked her across the face seconds after he confessed his love for her.

She sighed and looked at her door, desiring to join them in the next room.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying is, I think you should just apologise. Everyone was shocked when it happened, but we all know it was an accident. I did just shout at you both so I thought you were guessing it was me pulling at you." Zell explained to a mute Squall.

He wanted to believe Zell; that apologising to Rinoa would solve everything, but it was hopeless.

"An apology isn't going to fix this." He finally spoke flipping through his textbook.

"How do you know?" Zell questioned.

"I just do."

"Just apologise, she still loves you."

Squall looked up to meet Zell's eyes, was it possible? He wondered if this was Zell's analysis or whether she had actually told them she still did.

He looked at his door, _Maybe I can try and apologise?_

Zell looked down at his notebook which was surprisingly filled with plenty of notes for his part of the assignment. They had briefly discussed the situation with Rinoa, although it was Zell that was mainly doing the talking, or suggesting rather.

"Dude, I got a lot of notes here, I think all I need is to sort out the graphs and then we can call it night." Zell informed the brunette. "When I leave, then it might be the best time to talk to her."

Squall thought about it and then nodded. He sifted through his notepad and handed Zell his graphs. While the blond was copying he practised in his head what he could say to Rinoa. He wasn't sure if she would accept his apology or even how she felt about him now. All he knew was he had one shot at fixing this entire mess, he needed to show her he was serious about her and regretful of his actions.

* * *

Rinoa's head slumped for the third time, she was feeling very sleepy. Staying up late crying the night before and the continuous hunger she felt throughout the day had her running on very little energy.  
She rearranged herself on her bed getting into the silk sheets and turned to face the dimly lit lamp on the bedside table. She was already in bed and too lazy to mind the extra light. She let her head hit the soft pillow and closed her eyes feeling the prickles in her eyes lessen. She let out a huge yawn and let her mind close off, promising she'd turn the lamp off before she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Squall looked at his clock, it was 9:30pm, they had been working since dinner and he felt a little tired. Zell was on the final graph and Squall wished he would hurry. He wanted to sort out this mess with Rinoa quickly. He needed to apologise to her, it was killing him with misery knowing he had hurt her, knowing she was upset with him. At the same time he was loathing himself for being so self-absorbed; the entire incident was from his own hands, if he had thought rationally he wouldn't have ended up in this mess. He wouldn't have lost her twice within the same week.

"Ah, done!" Zell said and stood up stretching his legs and bending down to his knees. He packed his books into his bag and then zipped it slinging it over his shoulder.

"Alright, you make sure you talk to her." He firmly said to Squall who nodded agreeing.

Squall waited atop the stairs near the banister as Zell made his way downstairs and out the door shouting goodbye to Laguna and the General who were in the Library.

He walked to Rinoa's door slowly, each step making his heart race faster. He wondered what to say to her, the only suggestion he came up with from his rehearsal was 'I'm really sorry'. He had to do it; he'd find the words once he saw her and opened his mouth.

He tapped on her door lightly at first, but no answer. _Maybe she didn't hear._ He tapped again louder this time. Still no answer. _She might have her earphones on, maybe that's why she isn't answering. _He knew he was deluding himself, trying to make himself feel better from the truth that she was actually refusing to acknowledge him.

He put his hand on the doorknob checking to see if it was locked. It gave way and he heard the click of the door as it opened a crack.

He stood frozen; he questioned whether he should go in and check on her. _What if she gets angry? What if I freak her out?_

The door was already open; he could just walk in and ask her to hear him out.

He pushed the door slowly and surprised himself when his voice spoke out of its own accord.

"Rinoa?" His soft voice came out. He looked at the crumpled bed in front of him, she lay there very still. Her breathing was soft, her chest moving up and down smoothly. Her eyelids were shut and her mouth was slightly open. She had one hand under her cheek as she slept quietly.

He wanted ever so much to walk up to her and gently touch her cheek, the same cheek he injured. He wanted to move the stray hairs that fell across her neck. He wanted to tuck in the sheets that exposed her chest and make sure she was warm. He debated whether he should do any of those things. _Would she like me to after what I did to her?_

He closed his own eyes; he'd have to leave apologies for tomorrow. He walked into her room and stood at the side of her bed for a minute looking at her sleeping peacefully.

He raised a hand towards her cheek, but once there stopped. He didn't want to touch her without her permission; he had already done once. He moved his hand away disheartened. He turned to the lamp ready to switch it off, looking at her again taking in the beauty that always made his heart race. Would she forgive him? Would things return to normal? Would she still love him? He needed answers to all these questions, but he needed to be patient and wait for when the time was right.

"I'm sorry Rinoa." He whispered and turned off the lamp leaving the room in darkness all except the light that came flooding in from the corridor. "Sweet dreams." He walked to the room's exit and took the doorknob pulling the door shut behind him and making his way to his own room.

Rinoa opened her eyes and tried focusing on the blackness that was her room. She had panicked when she heard him knock; she didn't want to talk to him, it was awkward enough during dinner. But after hearing the remorse in his voice she wasn't so sure if she was still angry at him, or even annoyed.

She sighed not knowing the course of action she should take. Last week her only problem was Quistis, now a whole new set of problems arose.

**

* * *

**

Hmm, will she be so forgiving? R&R!

I should let you know I am now writing chapter 16 of The Set Up (TSU), and currently writing chapter 9 of my other story, not telling you the name, only one person knows the name ;). But i'll give you a hint, its only 15 chapters long, 5,000 words per chapter (more or less). So what does that mean? It means i'll have a complete story to post every week... given it gets enough reviews. First chapter will be posted once TSU is finished.


	13. Making Headlines

**Wow, I got a review from one of my favourite authors - 6jrz422. All I can say is that I feel like a Harry Potter fan showing their creative writing skills to J. K. Rowling.  
Talk about pressure! I feel really nervous now - ****I'm going to have to make the next chapters really good. **

**So far chapter 16 has been completed and I'm pretty happy with it. So need to work fast to get chapter 17 done and out of the way.**

**

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Chapter 13 - Making headlines!

Laguna and General Caraway sat on the kitchen breakfast bar talking about the press conference they were scheduled for Friday evening. It was 6:00am and the two sat with their coffee mugs in hand going through what each person had to say. They needed the practise; it was their only chance to persuade the entire world that the course of action they were to take was in the best interest for both their countries.

Laguna rubbed his eyes; they were still sore from the late night they both had getting things in order. Running a country was not simple.

"Say Laguna, what are we to do about our other problem?" Caraway asked, looking out of the kitchen window. It was sunny outside although very windy.

"Which problem?" Laguna asked amused.

"The one with our children?" Caraway replied, looking at him raising his eyebrows.

"Well, one part of me tells me to get involved and ask what's wrong, but the other part tells me to leave it up to them to fix."

"And which part is stronger?" Caraway asked.

"The part that's telling me to get involved." Laguna honestly replied.

"Why's that?"

The younger man took a deep breath. "After Squall lost his mother, he closed up completely. Rinoa came into his life and I started to see he was opening up again. Not to everyone else, only to her, but it was fine. I mean, for him to at least have one person he can talk to, to share life with, to love." Laguna said, analysing his son's behaviour. "I know something is wrong, he wouldn't have agreed to going off to ECU a week ago. Now he's saying he has nothing left in Balamb; completely disregarding Rinoa."

Caraway nodded his head. He and his daughter had their fair share of trials.

"Fury, the last thing I want is him to close up. I don't know what's happening, but sooner or later, we might have to get involved."

"I know." Caraway spoke, smoothing down the table cloth. "I can't believe they grow up so quickly. Rinoa's never been in love before; I just hope this doesn't end quicker than it started."

"I'll second that. I thought I'd never see the day Squall would fall in love." Laguna smiled. He looked at Caraway and his smiled disappeared. "Do you think Squall has anything to do with that plaster on her cheek?"

Caraway nodded again. "Yes sadly, as much as Rinoa has to do with that bruise above his eyebrow."

The two men just shook their heads; it seemed the uniting of two teenagers was a bigger burden than that of the uniting of two countries.

* * *

Rinoa got out of the shower wrapped in her blue towel. She quickly dried herself and dressed in her jeans and blue vest, pulling a V-neck light blue sweater over her head.

She poked her head out of the bathroom and ran into her room. There, she quickly put on her Lonsdale trainers and grabbed her school bag; it didn't weigh much except for the Literature book she had in it. She had decided to leave her books in her locker after seeing Squall waiting beside it. Now she had to rush to school to retrieve the books and finish her Maths homework before it was due in.

She made her way downstairs quietly, making sure not to wake the lone wolf sleeping in his soundless abode. The last thing she needed was another awkward situation.

She walked into the kitchen and saw Laguna and her father sitting down to breakfast.

"Morning, you're up very early." Laguna smiled up at her.

"Yeah I thought I'd get a head start. I left a couple of books in my locker and I got homework due for the subject." Rinoa confessed.

"Are you heading out now dear?" Caraway asked, watching as Rinoa quickly buttered her toast and grabbed a glass of orange juice, downing them both in a hurry.

Her glass still attached to her lips, she nodded her head in confirmation. She wanted to head out before Squall woke up. It was bad enough she had lessons with him throughout the day, it'd just be too awkward to ride in the same car as him.

"You're not waiting for Squall?" Laguna asked.

"No, I don't want to bother him this early." She quickly explained.

"So how are you going to get to school? It is a long way from here." He continued to question her.

"I'll just walk to the Villa Estates and get a bus from there."

"Why don't you take Squall's car? He won't mind." Laguna took Squall's car keys off their hook hanging on the kitchen wall and handed them to Rinoa.

A week ago she would have jumped at the chance to drive Squall's car, now she wasn't so sure it was appropriate.

"No…" She shook her head.

Caraway looked at his daughter. "Rinoa, it's a long way even to the bus stop. Accept the kind offer."

"I don't want to put him out." She still detested.

Laguna walked up to her. "Ellone has a 9 o'clock start, she can drop Squall off with her car."

She looked at the keys still not wanting to take them. She didn't want Squall to have a reason to look for her during the day to get his keys back.

"Rinoa." Caraway called out to her. He then looked over to Laguna and nodded his head.

"Rinoa." Laguna looked at her in the eyes. "Let's make a deal. You take Squall's keys and we won't ask you how you really got that cut on your cheek and how Squall got that bruise above his eyebrow."

She stood dumbfounded. She knew her father didn't really believe the lame story she told him last night, but she didn't realise they'd put two and two together. She knew she couldn't argue, she couldn't defend herself on the spot. Yet if she took the keys, it'd mean something between her and Squall did happen.

She couldn't think and so could only comply. She took the keys and said her goodbyes and headed out.

**

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**

Literature:

It was safe; Seifer and Quistis were both in the class with her so Rinoa didn't have to face Squall alone. It was awkward when he walked in and sat directly behind her. She just concentrated on her work throughout the lesson and quietly thanked the teacher when he gave them all exam practise questions.

Squall had written straight for the past forty minutes without break. His hand was aching from the fast movement. He was surprised he had been able to concentrate with his work although Rinoa was directly in front of him. He wanted to reach out and stroke the softness of her raven black hair. He had woken up and found out that she had already headed off to school with his car. It gave him something to talk to her about; getting his keys back. That way, he could apologise.

**

* * *

**

Break:

Rinoa ran out of the classroom not bothering to wait Quistis or Seifer. She knew if she did, Squall would approach her and she just wasn't ready for that. She still hadn't thought about what she'd say to him, she just felt so awkward. The more she thought about what had happened the day before, the sillier and futile it seemed.

She got to the administration office and knocked on the door until she heard someone call her in.

"Hi, I'm just here to hand in my permission form for tomorrow's trip?" She told the woman in front of her.

"Ok, thank you, it's a two-day trip so you'll need an overnight bag; here is a checklist of things you may want to bring with you." The woman handed her a sheet of paper and ticked her name off from her notepad.

She thanked the woman and turned round to see Squall behind her.

Squall didn't know what to do; he just looked down at her and watched as she quietly made her way out of the office. He mentally slapped himself; _She must think I'm stalking her._

He didn't know she was down there, she had ran off after their Literature class; he didn't know where she was headed.

He needed to submit his form in otherwise he wouldn't be allowed to go to the trip; he didn't know she was there for the same reason. He walked to the lady in the office and handed in his permission slip, he thought to himself how this trip would be a series of even more awkward situations.

**

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Physics:

Rinoa found her physics lesson a lot more bearable. Although their class was filled with spectacle wearing quiet 'nerds', having Zell in the lesson always brought humour. The energetic joker would spend the entire lesson getting Professor Odine worked up, making the class enjoyable for Rinoa. It was just what she needed to be distracted from Squall.

She sat in-between Zell and another student with Squall sitting next to Zell on her left. It was easy for her this way; she didn't accidentally look at him nor did she feel his gaze on her.

Squall sat mute, not laughing at Zell's attempts to hassle the teacher, though the entire class found it amusing. He, however, was thinking about Rinoa sitting on the same table as him refusing to make eye contact. He remembered back to the week before when she had noticed him from her Chemistry Lab and walked up to him. He wished he could go back in time and play that scene again. He wondered if he'd do anything differently. Whether he'd take her hand and hold it in his and tell her how he felt? Whether he'd promise to never hurt her and trust her. Or whether he' still feel the same insecurities that nestled inside him refusing to diminish.

The class laughed louder now at something Zell had just suggested; Professor Odine looking like he was about to explode.

Squall returned back to staring at his table, still refusing to take part.

**

* * *

**

Lunch:

Rinoa could feel Squall's eyes on her as she walked down the foyer with Zell. She was contemplating whether she should tell them she was heading for the library or stay with them through lunch? She knew if she mentioned where she was going, there was the possibility of Squall following her to 'talk' and she still had no clue as to what to say. She didn't want to talk to him until she was ready.

On the other hand, she knew it was safer to go sit with her friends, that way maybe Squall wouldn't approach her.

Squall waited until Zell and Rinoa turned the corner into the Cafeteria corridor. He kept walking, past the corridor and towards the Library. He didn't fancy sitting there with Selphie, Quistis and Seifer all refusing to talk to him after what he did to Rinoa. He doubted any of them would have forgiven him for his actions; he hadn't forgiven himself.

He got to the end of the Library and sat behind one of the far end shelves in the corner where he wouldn't be spotted.

He took out a magazine from his bag; it was the latest issue of Weapon's Monthly. He was reading through the articles about different weapons and their uses while eating his homemade sandwich. He was slightly amused at the irony of the situation. It was a déjà vu for him; it was something he did when Raine had passed away. He didn't like to sit there with people all telling him they were 'sorry' and if he 'ever needed anything'.

He thought about Rinoa, he knew she was ignoring him; it was evident by her behaviour. She had run off in the morning, had completely ignored him during break and even sat away from him during physics. He didn't need it spelled out; he knew he ruined his chances. He needed to apologise, but the need to respect her wishes were greater.

He sighed knowing he had let his insecurities ruin the only chance of ever being sincerely loved by someone he equally, if not more, loved back. It hit him now more than ever, the 'loss' he had feared, the 'poison' she was for him, he had done it to himself. He was the poison; he had lost her, all because of his fears and doubts. Now he had to suffer the consequences. _Might as well quit while I'm behind._

**

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**

Advanced Maths:

Rinoa walked into the classroom and found Squall already seated with his books and pen out.

She took a deep breath and sat down in her assigned seat. It was very awkward now, Zell was still in the same class as her, but now she was sitting directly next to Squall, and she had to endure this for the next hour and forty minutes.

She quickly snuck a glance at him, her heart raced faster. He had his chin resting on top of his hands that were interlocked at the fingers as he looked down at his desk. His face was so motionless, no expression, a blank canvas . His lips were relaxed but closed, the only thing that gave away hint of emotion were his eyes. The steel blue of his eyes exposed his hurt, disgrace and shame, she could tell he was suffering inside. She tried to put herself in his shoes: finding out someone loved you and being worried that you might get hurt but ending up hurting them instead. She thought about how Squall had refused to speak to her after what happened at Selphie's party. _I'm doing exactly the same thing to him. He refused to let me explain what had happened with Seifer and now I'm refusing to let him explain his actions. It was an accident._

She moved her hand up to her left cheek leaning on her elbow as the teacher was explaining the lesson to the class. She could feel with her little finger the scab that had formed from the cut she got. It was very thin, probably wouldn't even leave a mark let alone a scar.

She looked at Squall again, he hadn't changed his position. _It was a mistake, wasn't Squall? The question is: can we go back to normal?_ She sighed and closed her eyes briefly before starting on the exercise questions.

He took his pencil and started working on the questions the teacher instructed the class to carry out. He had to do everything in his might to not look at Rinoa, even when he felt she was looking at him. He was about to face her when he realised she might have been staring out of the window that was next to him.

He just kept mentally shaking himself, no matter how much he desired her, he had to resist and respect her wishes. She'd talk to him when she was ready. _If she's ready._

He had been working for a couple of minutes when a piece of folded paper landed on his desk. He looked to his left and saw Rinoa with a sympathetic smile on her face.

He unfolded the paper reading it slowly. He looked at her confused, but she was bent down writing in her exercise book. He looked up to make sure the teacher wasn't looking before writing to her.

_**What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one who is sorry.**_

He folded the paper and chucked it back to her. She looked up making sure the teacher wasn't following their interaction. She scribbled her reply.

**I over reacted. It was an accident, like what happened with me and Seifer at Selphie's.**

_**Still, that was Lauren's fault; it was out of your control. It's nothing compared to what I did.**_

**Nope, it's the same. Seifer was making you mad; you were bound to snap any moment. I just happened to be there at the wrong time.**

_**Still doesn't make it right. I still hurt you.**_

For some odd reason he found it easier to write down his feelings than speak to her directly.

**Don't flatter yourself, takes more than a petty slap to get me down. Lol, see I'm already joking about it.**

_**I'm sorry.**_

**Its fine, don't worry about it.**

He didn't know what else to write. She had accepted his apology, but he wasn't sure whether they would go back to normal, whatever normal was.

The rest of the lesson ran by quickly after they cleared the air. The bell rang and the students started clearing their tables.

Rinoa put her books into her bag and stood up. She waited right next to Squall modestly smiling at him, it felt quite surreal that only an hour ago she was feeling anxious and agitated around him, yet now it was the complete opposite. She wondered whether he felt any different.

He looked up at her waiting for her to speak first as he slung his bag onto his shoulder and pulled up his hood over his head.

"So." Rinoa just smiled and shrugged.

"…" Squall wasn't sure what to say. He didn't exactly know what was going on. He wasn't sure whether he had been forgiven, or whether she was just showing him some mercy. It was weird for him, she had ignored him all day and now she was approaching him out of her own accord.

She started walking to the exit so he followed her cautiously still uncertain about how she wanted him to behave.

"Oh, I have your keys." She informed him and took them out of her bag and dropping it into his open palm.

"Thanks." He whispered.

They walked silently towards the car park neither knowing what to say. It was very awkward. Neither was certain how to behave after the ordeal they had faced. Nor did they know the status of their relationship now that they knew how they felt about each other, or even if they still felt the same way.

They were approaching Squall's car when they noticed Quistis and Seifer leaning against Quistis's red convertible. Selphie, Irvine and Zell were also with them watching as the two approached. The awkwardness they were feeling heightened as they were being watched by the group unaware of how they should react.

Squall, feeling ashamed and embarrassed, walked past his friends head down and unlocked his car getting into the driver's seat. He shut the door and put his belt on turning the engine on. He wasn't sure if Rinoa was going to join him, or whether she had made plans with the group.

"Rinny is everything ok?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later, Squall's giving me a lift home." She smiled and waved to the group.

Squall heard the passenger door open and watched as Rinoa made her way in. He smiled inwardly, he was happy she was joining him, but still felt he wasn't given the all clear.

* * *

The drive was quiet the whole way, only the breathing of the two teens could be heard. Rinoa wanted to discuss their situation but couldn't find the words. Squall couldn't even think; everything felt so surreal for him. He couldn't believe all these events could have taken place within the space of a week.

Once they parked up outside the house they got out walking to the front door. Rinoa looked up at the sky looking at its colourful tones of blue and the big fluffy clouds that had formed. She squinted at the sunlight that hit her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was hurling over as her foot buckled on the uneven paved slabs leading to the house.

Before she landed on the floor Squall's reflexes caught her, she was holding onto his arms as he held her up, she looked up at him briefly. She remembered the last time she was this close to him, even now her chest was only a few centimetres away from his and her eyes were looking back to his lips.

"Thanks." She muttered, as he let go of her nodding his head and making his way into the house.

* * *

Back in the house Rinoa sat opposite Squall in the living room. Their fathers had gone for the day presumably sorting out the situation with their countries. Ellone was studying at Uni and wouldn't be back till late.

Rinoa looked at the brown shag rug; she curled her toes along it feeling its softness. She looked at Squall who had his gaze on her toes still showing no emotion. She knew she had to say something, it was going beyond ridiculous, and they needed to sort out whatever the situation they were in.

"I…" She started but stopped quickly. He looked at her waiting and willing for her to continue. She scratched the back of her neck. "I… I don't have any ill feelings towards you, if that's what you're thinking. I know it was an accident."

Squall looked at her. He was unsure of how to reply, _what do I exactly say to that?_

He looked back at his safety zone, her toes. _I still don't deserve her, what if I hurt her again?_

"It was pretty silly of me to get worked up. After that, I just didn't know how to be around you, so I wasn't really ignoring you." She tried again at getting him to talk. She found it odd now that she finally agreed to sit and talk with him, but now he seemed to be out of words. _But then again, you weren't much of a talker, eh Squall?_ She smiled to herself, this week truly was odd, and she wondered what else would occur.

Squall still sat mute, he couldn't speak. He physically couldn't speak. Now that he had apologised, he didn't know how to be around her. The earlier thoughts of taking her hand, hugging her and stroking her cheek had all but vanished. Now she forgave him he was confused, he wasn't sure what they were, or even if she still felt the same way.

"Squall, please say something?" Rinoa softly spoke concerned.

"I don't know what to say." He finally spoke.

"Say anything, what's on your mind, spill it!" She joked smiling at him.

He closed his eyes and sighed. What he really wanted was for her to walk up to him, for him to be standing with her hands on his chest leaning against him telling him she loved him. And in that scene for him to reply back with the same confession. How he wished for time to go back so he could relive that scene. It was all a mess now, he wasn't confused about his feelings, but he couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, he still lost her.

"Do you…" He tried to ask her but still was hesitant. He didn't know if it was the right time. He wanted to shout on the top of his lungs that he loved her. But he was scared she'd changed her mind and her heart.

"Do I?" She repeated looking at him with her head to one side.

"Do you…" He breathed, _I can't do it. It's over. I've lost her. _He looked at her straight in the eyes. "Do you want some Ramen noodles?" He got up walking towards the chicken slowly.

Rinoa looked at his retreating back oddly; she knew that wasn't what he wanted to ask her. But she decided to leave it, she had enough drama this week, she just settled on playing along.

"Sure." She replied and smiled.

* * *

Rinoa woke up to loud noises downstairs, she looked at the time on the digital clock on the bedside table. It showed 6:15am. She'd of had to get up in another fifteen minutes anyway so she thought she might as well get an early start. After their noodles last night they waited for their fathers to get home before dinner. Rinoa caught up with her homework and Squall went to finish off his assignment. The parents seemed happy to see that their children were now playing happily and the evening was pretty much normal.

Rinoa slipped into her robe and opened the door. She could hear her father shouting so worriedly she made herself down the stairs catching a few bits of information.

"…bloody will be fixed… dare they interfere with my family life! They have no right! This has NOTHING to do with my ability to run a country, this IS DEFAMING MY FAMILY!"

Rinoa walked into Laguna's library slowly and made out the figures in there. Her father had just sat down on Laguna's chair his face in his hands while Laguna spoke to the person on the phone in a calmer manner. Ellone was sleepy-eyed and sitting on the corner of the table. She noticed Squall right away; he was further from the rest of the group nearer towards the door, nearer to her. His face looked like he had woken up in the same manner as did she, his eyes were puffy from sleep and his hair was messier than usual. She knew there was some sort of trouble, but even in this situation she couldn't help blushing at Squall's presence. He had obviously rushed downstairs from the noise as he hadn't put a shirt on. He was only dressed in his long pyjama trousers that showed off his well muscled torso. His abs were toned and hairless, each pack making its distinct position on his smooth honey complexion skin.

Squall turned to her suddenly aware of her presence, his face was shocked to see her standing there.

"Rinoa." He said getting the attention of the other three people in the room.

Laguna hung up the phone and looked at her sympathetically.

"I heard shouting." She explained feeling like a 5 year old girl talking to her parents.

"Rinoa." Caraway looked at her not knowing what else to say.

She walked into the room wanting to give her father a hug. Squall raced past her and gathered together the newspapers sitting on his father's desk.

"What's going on?" She asked looking around.

"Nothing poppet, why don't you go back to bed?" Her father smiled at her.

"No…" She looked around the room; Ellone was staring at Laguna, who was looking at the newspapers in Squall's hand edging towards him. She looked at Squall who just looked preoccupied pretending not to notice her stares.

"Tell me what's going on." She demanded. She felt it was unfair they were keeping things from her, _If Squall gets to know, so should I._

"Its nothing, just some business." Laguna said taking the newspaper's off his son.

"Yeah? Well what's with the papers?" She asked pointing to them.

They didn't know what to say, Squall was mute as usual, but her father just stared at her with his jaws locked.

"She's bound to find out when she gets to school, might as well give her a head's up." Ellone called out.

"Find out what?" She asked nervous. Now she wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

Laguna placed the newspapers down on his desk. They were three of Galbadia's top read newspapers, each with the similar stories though different headings.

The pictures however, was what the shouting was all about. The first was easily distinguishable, it was the same picture posted on the forum, of her and Seifer under the birch tree. The second was of her and Caraway eating lunch at the Balamb Hotel's restaurant, the third was a picture of her getting out of Seifer's Jeep the day he dropped her off outside the Villa Estates. The last picture was somewhat weird, it was of her and a figure she couldn't make out and what position she was exactly in. By the looks of it, it was probably Squall catching her as she nearly fell over the day before. She took the newspapers skim reading each story. One was about how **'Daddy's Little Girl All Grown Up'** was going from one man to another. Another was about how '**G. Caraway Unable To Control Daughter - Can He Control Our Country?'**, and of course the last was **'From Local Hunk To Mysterious Lover'**. The pictures were continually used, the latter paper heavily referencing to the picture of her and the mysterious stranger.

Rinoa looked at everyone in the room, their sympathetic smiles all trying to comfort her. Squall just looked blank not sure how to respond to her.

"I'm sorry Rinoa." Laguna said trying to find words of comfort.

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Is this it?" She asked. They all looked at her with confusion.

"You're not upset?" Laguna asked.

"No, it's dumb, besides I've gone through much worse. Anyways I'm heading into the shower now." She walked off upstairs ready to start her day and head off to the trip to Shumi Village. She wasn't bothered by the newspapers; she'd had experience with rumours already. What she had to do now was brace herself for the effect it would have on her once she got to school.

* * *

**Ok so its the Shumi Village trip next chapter and then we really get into the plot. Thanks to all my frequent reviewers, n9neSTAR, effect20, crepesculo4ever, and the anonymous ones too!**

**Please keep reviewing, it really boosts my motivation to produce more and i really cant wait to start posting BTA. Lol, i'll let you guess what BTA means. (n9neSTAR no spoilers! Keep it a secret!) :P**


	14. Heading to Shumi Village

**Ok so this chapter takes place over the course of two days. **

**Read and review people.**

* * *

**Chapter 14 –** **Heading to Shumi Village**

* * *

Skippy jumped off the helicopter and waved his thanks to the driver. He was on yet another mission. At first it was just suppose to be for the one-off photos taken for the stories in the newspapers. Now he was making his way to Shumi Village on hearing the young Caraway was headed there.  
Of course he had his reasons; he needed to carry out these orders if he wanted to make it big. The only way to make it big, however, was getting into Esthar. He was already unwelcome in Galbadia after the fake photos he produced of Vinzer Deling and a mistress. He had gotten in quite a lot of trouble for that, but this job was easier; it was planned properly. If he carried out the instructions properly, then everything would work out in his favour, and then he'd be given his leave.

He'd make to Esthar, it was heavy price to pay… but he wasn't paying, young Caraway was.

* * *

The ice cold air hit Rinoa's face like razors slicing against her cheeks. Her face looked like a pallet of white snowy skin against her rosey cheeks and Rudolf red nose. Any colder and she guessed she would catch a pneumonia . She clung to her parker as the breezy air swarmed around her, blowing her open hair in all directions and letting it cascade down her face.

The class had begun following the teacher's instructions and made their way towards the large glass dome building. It looked like a greenhouse from the outside. Once inside Rinoa found it surprising that it was quite warm compared to the cold climate she had just experienced a second ago. She brushed back her hair and looked around, a path lead up to some stairs and an elevator door could be seen inviting guests upstairs.

The teacher asked for the students to divide into groups of 6, each with a mentor - another supervising teacher. The groups were categorised A-O, Rinoa's group being group H.

Slowly each group made their way into the elevator and upstairs. It was now Rinoa's turn so she made her way into the elevator with her group and was amazed at the size and condition. Two large blue sofas were laid out facing the door with a wide screen plaza TV position in the middle of the wall. A voice called out a welcome and the destination chosen by the teacher.

"Ok, group H, I'll take you in and we'll head to the Shumi Hotel first, that's where you can leave you things." Mr Fair spoke. He was a tall muscled man with fair skin and jet black spikey hair. He was a lot younger than most of their teachers and so got on well with the students due to his closeness in age. "After that I'll take you to the Shumi Council office were you'll have to give your thanks to the Mayor for allowing us to use their facilities for your coursework."

"Sir," Selphie spoke getting the teacher's attention, "would we be able to get an interview with the Mayor? I wanted to add something to the travel section of the Student forum."

"Er, not sure Selphie, we can try asking." He smiled at her.

Once out from the elevator Rinoa looked out into the brightly lit outdoors. She was amazed, it was freezing cold outside with all the snow and blistering winds. Here it was the complete opposite; it wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. It was warm and sunny much like Balamb.

The steps to the elevator led down to a small circular dirt road and a path leading off to the rest of the resort. To the right were many Shumi style huts and bungalows; while on the left was a lot of overgrown foliage and trees.

They walked to the hotel first and checked in. Rinoa was sharing a room with Quistis and Selphie which they had booked with the teachers back in Balamb.

"Rinoa, how much do you have?" Selphie asked looking at the raven haired girl and then eyeing the duffle bags next to her.

"I need all this stuff, and besides it's only two more bags than you." She argued back.

"I have one duffle bag; we're only here two days." Selphie answered back.

"Yes, well I need a lot of things for two days, plus we'll be doing a lot of labour work and I know ill get dirty and need to change my clothes often." Rinoa explained.

"Say what?" Selphie looked surprised at hearing the new information.

"Selphie you didn't think we were going to come here to relax did you? We're here to collect data; we'll be required to carry out all sorts of research." Rinoa laughed at the girl's ignorance.

"Oh, I thought we'd just come to listen to lectures." Selphie frowned.

"Didn't you even read the information leaflet and the check list they sent?"

"No." She smiled sheepishly.

"Well serves you right." She stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry if anything of yours gets dirty, you can borrow some of my stuff. See aren't you glad I packed so much?"

"Yes!" Selphie laughed.

"Ok, girl's you're in room 10A and boys your in room 10B." Mr Fair called out.

"Squall?" Rinoa called out as he was walking by. "Erm, my stuff is a little-" She didn't need to finish, the brunette picked up all three of her duffle bags without effort and smirked at her whilst carrying two of his own.

"Thanks!" She cried and followed him upstairs.

* * *

The group went to meet with the Mayor to give him their gratitude and then headed to the assembly point. There, they were instructed on the objective of the trip and the different activities they'd be carrying out.

They all changed into their 'labour' clothes and checked their schedule. Group H were first assigned to record the data of the river flow. This involved the group getting into waterproof clothing and jumping into the river to check its width and length, the velocity of the river flow and the pebble count to check its density.

After the river experiment they went over to the Sculptor's hut where they were assigned to check different stones within the Shumi Village.

Rinoa and her team walked into the large dome hut led by their mentor. They walked up to meet a large bulky man with red hair and sunglasses dressed in the green and grey Shumi Instructor uniform.

"Hi, we're group H from Balamb High." Mr Fair stuck his hand out for the large man to shake.

"Nice to meet ya." The man replied and looked at the group curiously noticing Rinoa straight away. She looked back at him with a modest smile; he looked slightly familiar, like she had seen him somewhere.

She guessed he was probably staring at her seeing as her pictures were plastered all over the newspapers that morning. She thought she'd be given dirty looks by the entire school when she showed up that morning, but surprisingly, everyone was being nice. Many had patted her back telling her not to be bothered by what was said and that whoever she was going out with 'I think you look cute together'.

"Erm, are you the Sculptor?" Mr Fair asked the large man.

"Nah mate, Sculpty's not around today. Name's Skippy, I've been assigned to help ya out so if you wanna follow me I'll show ya the ropes." He said with his thick Shumi accent.

The group followed him to the back of the room and sat around the large round table. The man showed them different types of rocks explaining their properties and characteristics. Their assignment was to go around the village using the rocks as examples and find the areas where they might be found. They then had to bring back an identical rock as evidence of their assumption.

* * *

The group took the rocks and headed out to the river area first, thinking that the water rock could be found first.

"Ok Rinoa, why don't you jump into the river?" Seifer proposed smiling wickedly while swaying up to her.

"Seifer don't you dare!" Rinoa cried and ran over to Squall hiding behind him.

"You think Leonhart's going to stop me?" He asked laughing, still walking up to her.

"Quistis tell him!" She pleaded to Quistis.

"Oh Seifer, leave her alone." The blonde replied bored scribbling into her notepad while bending down to observe the stones around the river.

Rinoa grabbed onto Squall's arm pushing it in between herself and Seifer as the blond approached her trying to get a clasp on her arm.

"Squall, help me!" She tried to cry out but laughing at the same time.

With a fake bored expression Squall grabbed Rinoa by the waist and leaned her into the water. Her back to the water and her body in a very low diagonal position parallel to the cold water, she clung to his neck and screamed trying to crane her neck to look at how close she was to the water.

"No, Squall don't! C'mon I'm not even in proper clothing!"

"Do it! Do it Squall!" Seifer willed him.

"Squall don't, Rinny kick him!" Selphie shouted trying to run over to them. She was stopped by Seifer who kept pushing his arm in front of her preventing her from running to the girl's aid.

Zell was maniacally laughing to himself from the scene, "Ah Squall, don't man, that's deep."

"Squall please." Rinoa pleaded with sad eyes. The brunette laughed lightly then turned his head to look at the others.

"Shall I do it?" He asked them.

"No!" Quistis and Selphie yelled.

"DO IT!" Seifer yelled. Zell only laughed not sure who he should side with.

Squall released his hold on her waist and put his hands up around hers trying to pry her fingers from his neck. She struggled to keep hold, still laughing at the same time. Realising that he wasn't going anywhere with her hold on him, he put his hands back on her waist and started tickling her. She laughed hysterically and no sooner did she loosen her hands from around his neck, her body fell into the water with a loud splash.

Seifer's voice was the loudest laughing hysterically. Selphie and Quistis couldn't help it either and started giggling at Rinoa's wet body standing up, her hair drenched in river water while she was spitting out water and wiping her eyes from the murky river water.

"Squall!" She shouted angrily. He couldn't help it; he laughed along with the others looking at her completely soaked.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." He confessed.

"Get me out of her!" She commanded anger written all over her face.

He bent down and stretched his hand out to her in regret; he thought she'd see the humour behind it but obviously her face told him other wise. He grabbed her wrist and pulled but she stood her ground. He looked at her, her face was smirking mischievously.

"Don't!" He threatened. But before he could do anything, she yanked at his arm with all her strength, causing him to come crashing down into the water head first before the rest of his body joined him.

He pushed himself up from the cold water and pushed back his long hair from his eyes. Rinoa was laughing from getting her own back. Seifer ran over to Quistis and grabbed her by the waist bringing her into the water along with him, resulting in her shrieking from the top of her lungs. Zell and Selphie merely shrugged and jumped into the water along with them.

They played around in the river splashing water on each other and chasing each other. It was a break away from the stress that was the previous two months.

"Excuse me!" A voiced boomed at them. The group looked up to a skinny tall man in green and grey uniform. "This is not a swimming pool, can you please stop messing about and get out!"

* * *

They had all assembled in the hotel hall to eat dinner. The hotel offered a buffet service that was placed on a long row of tables. Once they had gotten their food the group made their way to one of the tables sitting down to eat.

Rinoa placed a spoonful of mash potato into her mouth and looked around the room. She felt eyes on her and looked over at a table in the far corner. Skippy was on his phone looking at her. He quickly averted his gaze and continued to talk into his phone.

The group talked about the experiments they were to cover the next day and when they'd get a chance to buy some souvenirs. Rinoa would occasionally look over at Skippy trying to place him, he looked familiar; she could have swore she saw him somewhere back in Deling. The man caught her stare and smiled at her nodding in her direction. She didn't smile back, she looked away feeling uncomfortable.

After dinner, they group were feeling quite tired, it was only 8pm but considering the change in time zones they decided to head to bed early.

* * *

The next morning they met up with their mentor early, Skippy came along as well to demonstrate some of the experiments needed to be carried out.

Rinoa was sitting down on the grass crossed legged writing into her notepad. Selphie and Quistis were talking to Mr Fair getting his help on their methods and questionnaires.

She felt someone sit down next to her and looked as Skippy took a seat on the soft green grass smiling at her.

"G'day, nice weather isn't it?" He asked falling back on his arms and stretching out his legs.

"Hmm." She responded looking around. Squall was in the distance with Seifer and Zell trying to get some villagers to fill out questionnaires.

"So you like it here in Shumi?" He asked.

"Yeah it's ok." She replied taking her bottled water out from her bag and taking a sip. She wished the man would get up and go. For some odd reason, he let off a negative vibe; she felt uncomfortable around him partly because of how close he was sitting next to her.

She placed her bag in between them forcing some distance. She looked down at her notepad again pretending to do some calculations and scribbling down to make it look like she was answering some questions.

"Shumi is nice. You been anywhere else?" He asked her persisting to make conversation.

"No, just Balamb." She replied briefly.

"You got any plans for after you finish school?" He asked moving down to his elbow and budging up closer to her.

She looked the other way not wanting to look at him and stared over at Squall wishing for him to turn around and meet her gaze.

"Probably University." She answered.

Skippy looked up at the back of Rinoa's head. He had his chance now; she was looking over at the brunette boy, the one in the picture he had taken outside their house. Keeping the conversation going, he put his hand into his pocket and retrieved the small plastic packet.

"Oh yeah? Which Uni are you thinking of going to?" With her gaze averted and her head turned away from him he quietly placed the packet deep into her bag and sat up.

"Probably Balamb." She kept her eyes on Squall who looked over at her and caught her gaze. She ushered him over and frowned her forehead. Excusing himself from the villager he made his way over to her.

"Well, I'll let you get on with it." Skippy said getting up and walking away just as Squall reached them.

"What's wrong?" Squall asked sitting down on the grass next to Rinoa.

"I don't know but that guy just makes me feel uncomfortable." She replied looking at Skippy's retreating body. She frowned, something about that guy just wasn't right; she knew she had seen him before she just didn't know where.

"Well, what did he say?" He asked looking at direction Rinoa was looking to. Skippy was saying something to Mr Fair before waving and walking off towards the hotel.

"Nothing much, just asking me about the future. But it's not what he says, its more how he looks at me." She tried to explain.

"Well, how does he look at you?" Squall asked looking at Rinoa as she put her head in her hands pushing her hair back.

"I don't know, I can't explain." She said frustrated. "Its like he knows something about me and he's always looking at me funny."

"I haven't noticed anything." Squall commented not sure what to say.

"Forget it, its nothing." She got up off the grass brushing her tracksuits down and grabbed her bag walking off. Squall watched as she took a couple of steps away from him before turning around. "Are you coming?" She smiled at him squinting into the sunlight.

* * *

Squall walked into the hotel's souvenir shop hoping to find a book on the history of the Village that could help him with his coursework. He was checking through the aisles when he spotted a book and started reading through it. The first part was all about the structure and natural features of the village that were moulded to build the dome complex. He was skim reading it knowing he'd purchase it.

"This is a shop, not a library." A voice joked next to him.

Squall turned to find Skippy next to him with a couple of books in hand.

"I was checking the contents." He explained.

"I was only kidding mate. So, how's Shumi treating ya?" He asked looking at the books in front of him.

"It's ok." Squall asked flipping through the pages of his book again.

"Good, good. You like your school then?" He asked. Squall looked at him weirdly; _if this is this guy's idea of a conversation it's very bland._

"Yeah it's alright." He answered.

"Good, are you going to Balamb Uni with your little lady?" He asked nudging Squall with a wink and smirk.

"My 'little lady'?" Squall asked perplexed.

"Yeah the young Sheila you were with before. Raven hair, big brown eyes, fair skin; pretty little madam she is." His attempt at a description of Rinoa. Squall frowned; he was wondering whether Rinoa had been right about this guy's weird looks towards her.

"She's not my 'lady'; she's a person of her own." He replied picking up another book.

"Of course! She's very smart ain't she? Bright little thing." He paused for a second thinking Squall would reply. The brunette didn't so he continued, "Told me she's from Deling, mind you, I thought she didn't look like she's from Balamb. A bit posh looking don't you think?"

Squall smiled at the guy resisting the need to be sarcastic. "She's just Rinoa to me."

"Oh yeah mate, didn't mean no harm. Horrible things they said about her in the papers."

"They're all lies." Squall replied not bothering to go into detail. He didn't want to talk about it, he knew Rinoa wasn't bothered by it; but he was.

"Oh yeah, of course, tabloids love a good old gossip." Skippy agreed. "Just looks like her mum a lot, thought I recognised her." He explained walking around Squall to the other side of the shelf.

"Julia?" Squall asked looking at Skippy's back. The man turned around.

"Yeah, pretty little Sheila she was back in the day. Beautiful voice."

"So you know that Rinoa's mum is Julia?" Squall asked. The man nodded. Squall nodded returning to his book. He thought to himself that the guy was probably looking at Rinoa because she looked like her mother. He continued flipping through his book expecting Skippy to continue to his destination.

"Yeah, doesn't look much like her old man." The man continued. "Hardly has anything of his does she?" He asked looking at Squall.

"She does. She has his chin." Squall replied absentmindedly. He walked towards the counter taking out cash to pay for his book.

"Oh really? So you're a good friend to the family?" Skippy asked handing his own money to the cashier.

"I guess so." Squall replied waiting to be served.

"That's nice. You know the old saying, love always blossoms where you least expect it." The man replied winking.

Squall took his change from the cashier and started making his way to the exit.

"Yeah well love is all we need right now. What with the feud with Esthar and Galbadia, we can only hope you young generation will fix our mistakes." Skippy said seriously with an expression of concern and worry.

"Well, tomorrow's the Treaty Press Conference so I guess we'll see some changes. I'm sure the President of Esthar and the General are trying their best to fix the mistakes of our predecessors." Squall replied hoping to give the guy some hope.

"Well maybe the General is, but I doubt the President of Esthar is doing anything; cant say much about a man you don't know."

"That's all in the past; he's making an effort now." Squall argued.

"How? We don't even know what he looks like, or whether he can be trusted, how do we know he isn't some ex-convict?" Skippy countered.

"He isn't." Squall replied at the man's absurd suggestions. He stopped walking and looked at the man with frowned eyes. _Is this what Dad was talking about? Is this how untrusting people are of Esthar and its people?_

"Well how would you know?" The man asked conceitedly. "You're just a kid."

"Because I'm… I'm Estharian." Squall replied correcting his near blunder of revealing his true identity.

"Oh. Well then I guess you'd know your own president." Skippy humbly replied. "Hm, well seeing as your Estharian and your Sheila friend is Galbadian I guess there is hope yet." He smiled and walked off.

Squall looked at the man's retreating body; Squall thought he was weird. There was something just not quite right about him.

* * *

Once he walked into his hotel room she stripped himself of the Shumi Instructor's uniform and the fake ID badge he had made for him and put on his woolly jumper and blue jeans. He put on his parker and packed the scattered items all over his room into his backpack.

He went over to his dresser table and picked up his phone punching in a couple of numbers and waiting for the call to connect.

"Yeah, it's me. I've done it… no wait, I just found something out. That young lad she was with, he's Estharian… no the brunette one… I think maybe this treaty thing might work… no… no… no, I'm not siding with him, you know I've always been loyal to you…" Skippy walked to his bed and sat down.

"Yes I know… look I just want a way in…" He felt hot and walked to his balcony door opening it and looking out onto the garden below. "Doubt I can get another picture now… you can't do that, the deal was to place it into her bag for my visa to Esthar… well how do I know somewhere down the line there isn't going to be another deal breaker?"

He shut the door and walked back picking up his backpack. "Look I can't get a picture it's too risky… fine! I'll do what I can." He pushed down a button on his phone ending the call and shoved his phone into his pocket. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the fake ID card before opening the door.

Opening the door to his room he checked to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying to the stairs that led down to the hotel entrance.

He made for the stairs and ran down to the first floor, turning the corner of the stairs to make his way down the rest, he bumped into someone hard.

"Oh, sorry dude." Zell apologised looking up at the instructor.

"No problem mate." The man said hurriedly trying to get past the blond and ran down the stairs.

"You okay?" Zell asked noticing the man's disorientated behaviour.

"Fine mate." Skippy replied shouting from the bottom of the stairs and disappearing.

Zell looked down at the floor and noticed the man's badge picking it up realising the man dropped it. He ran down and looked for him in the foyer unable to find him. He would have gone out to look for him but gathered the man would be back anyway once he noticed his badge was missing. Plus his bladder was bursting for the need to visit the toilet.

"Erm, one of the staff members dropped this." He handed over the card to the receptionist at the hotel's counter.

The woman thanked him taking the ID and placing it below the counter. Zell ran up the stairs again.

* * *

It was approaching midnight and Rinoa was sipping on her coffee, she was tired and sore eyed. The groups had all gathered giving one last thank you to the villagers and the Mayor. After the exchanges of farewells were done they made their way down to the snowy pier ready to board the ferry that would take them back to Balamb for the morning. Since they were travelling during the night the school gave them the rest of the day off to relax and rejuvenate from their trip.

"Ok Balamb High, can you please have your passports and hand luggage ready to be inspected. Remember if you are carrying any aerosols in your hand luggage you will not be able to board. You need to make sure to remove them and put them into your checked luggage." Miss Shelinda shouted over the loud hustle and bustle of the students.

"You checked your luggage?" Squall asked Rinoa who was too busy nodding off to sleep.

"No, I didn't bring any aerosols with me, and I checked my luggage before." She replied.

Squall walked up to the check-in and placed his duffle bag on the conveyer belt before walking through the metal detectors. With the all clear he waited for Rinoa to walk through.

She carried out the same steps as Squall putting her duffle bag on the conveyer belt and making her way towards the metal detector.

"Er, ma'am you need to put your hand bag on the conveyer belt too." The airport security guard informed her.

"Oh right." She replied and ran back placing her black handbag down and walking back through the detector. It made no sound so she walked up to the deposit area ready to collect her bag. She grabbed her duffle bag and waited for her hand bag to arrive.

Squall walked up to her taking her duffle bag out of her hand. She smiled at him and caught his look of concern.

She looked back to see two guards coming towards her. "You with Balamb High?" One of the guards asked holding her handbag in his hands.

"Yes." She replied worried. She wondered what could be the concern.

Miss Shelinda spotted the scene and walked up the two guards. "Is anything wrong?" She asked the one that spoke.

"Yes, your student has some illegal substances in her bag and she will need to come with us." The man replied.

"Illegal? That can be right I don't have anything illegal in that bag." Rinoa cried. She looked at her teacher for help.

"Are you sure? She was checked before she came here I doubt she'd be able to find anything illegal within your village." She argued.

"Ma'am if you are acting as her guardian please come with us, but the lady won't be able to travel without being checked for any more substances." The other guard spoke.

"I can't believe this." Rinoa cried.

"Look, Sir can you tell us what it is she has in her bag? Our ferry leaves in half an hour." Miss Shelinda pleaded.

"I'm sorry ma'am but she won't be travelling tonight." The man replied and took Rinoa by her arm leading her away.

"Rinoa." Squall called out following the two men. The other guard put his hand on Squall's chest.

"Sorry Sir, but you can't go beyond this point unless you are a relative or guardian."

The guards continued talking Rinoa away and into a small office. Miss Shelinda briefly spoke to Mr Fair explaining the situation and the instructions he should take to get the students back to Balamb. She followed the two guards after leaving Squall behind with the rest of the students looking in awe.

"Alright, Balamb High, this way please, our ferry is leaving in 30 minutes." He called out. Seifer and Quistis had made their way to Squall asking what happened. Squall shook his head not knowing what could have been in her bag. She had checked her luggage, she would have known if there were illegal substances in her bag. "Squall, come on we have to go." Mr Fair spoke up.

"I'm not leaving Rinoa." He replied not moving.

"Squall I'm afraid you have no choice, the school is held responsible should anything happen to you."

"Sir, I'm not going to leave her by herself." He continued to argue.

"Come on Sir, let him stay." Seifer pleaded for Squall.

"Guys, I'm sorry. Miss Shelinda is here so she's not alone. Now come on, we have to get going." He said sternly looking at the three students that stood still not moving. "Now!" He reiterated harshly.

Seifer and Quistis started making baby steps still uncertain if Squall would comply.

Frustrated Squall kicked at the floor and made his way to the ferry.

* * *

Rinoa sat on the steel chairs looking up at the two guards in a small dimly lit square office. The walls were painted dull white with only one window to the left side of the wall. The room was empty except for the rectangle table and four chairs surrounding it, two of which she and Miss Shelinda were occupying. The tall guard took her bag and placed it in front of her. "Ma'am, this is what we found in your bag." He explained taking out a small square plastic packet, the insides filled with some greeny-brown dried leaves. Rinoa looked at the guard with her mouth slightly open. "That's not mine." She said looking at the man and the substance in his hand.

"Rinoa." Miss Shelinda shook her head in disappointment.

"Miss, it's not mine, I don't know how it got there." She pleaded.

"Well regardless of whether it's yours or not, it was in your hand bag. Ma'am are you aware that Cannabis is a class B drug and you can face a minimum of 5 years prison sentence for possession?" The guard asked sternly.

Rinoa shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. It wasn't hers, but it was in her bag. She looked at the closed door, the room suddenly felt a lot smaller than when she first entered. The tears started falling as she digested what was happening, she was in a foreign land, with illegal substances in her bag, with no family and no Squall. How was she to get out of this one?

* * *

**Oh gosh, not another problem. Well i guess i just like making Rinoa go that extra mile, hehe.  
Don't worry i'll make it up to her next chapter... R&R!**


	15. An Innocent Abroad

**I'd like to apologise for not updating last week. I hadn't had much written being too busy with my other story, so sorry.**

**A big shout out to effect20, Trev James and HopelessRomantic-x for the continuous reviews, they mean a lot! A a special thanks to Scribbleness who is finding time to read and review my previous chapters! AND obviously cant forget miss n9neSTAR who has helped me with the ideas for the chapters that are to come ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any illegal substances.**

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Chapter 15 - An Innocent Abroad

As soon as they boarded the Ferry Squall took out his phone to call Laguna and tell him of the incident back at the pier. Halfway through explaining what had happened to Rinoa, the line cut off as they drove further into the icy Trabian Sea and lost connection.

Squall had to endure the six hour ferry ride back to Balamb before he could make another call.

The entire ride there he let his friends drone on about how Rinoa would be alright and theories of how something illegal could have gotten into her bag. He let the talk fall on deaf ears as the only thing on his mind was Rinoa. She had gone through enough trials already; she didn't need any more thrown at her. It wasn't like Rinoa to carry anything illegal, he was thinking to himself, unless it was out of ignorance.

Squall couldn't help but mourn; his head in his hands as he thought about her, by her herself, no father, no family, no friends. And he couldn't do anything to protect her. After what he did to her, he had promised to protect her; he didn't want anything to harm her in any way, shape or form. It was his atonement. His duty after the harm he put on her, though she had reminded him countless times that it wasn't his fault.

Once they landed in Balamb, Squall's phone went off alerting him of the many missed calls and text messages he had received. He read everyone and listened to the voice mail. They were all from Laguna telling him that an hour after he had called, the General's secretary from Galbadia had called informing him of a call from Trabia Pier Customs Service. They called to inform that they had his daughter held in custody for possession of illegal substances. The General wasn't too pleased.

The text message he had received told him that the General and Laguna were taking Laguna's private jet - the Ragnorak to Trabia to sort out the mess.

Squall cursed to himself; he wanted to be there, he wanted to take the next flight out and see if she was alright. He hated not knowing what was going on.

* * *

Rinoa dried her eyes for the hundredth time and sniffed. She was still sitting in the cold grey room being watched by the two guards. She had been here for more than six hours and patiently waited for God knew what was to come.

She had given the guards her father's secretary's number to call and tell him of her whereabouts. They had informed her that her father her made plans to take the next flight out. This was over two hours ago.

She looked around the room for the hundredth time noticing every minute detail. How the corners of the room had gathered damp, how the tiny window on the right side of the wall had loose paint chippings, how the table she was leaning on had worn out from the chemicals they were using to clean it.

She sighed to herself bringing on more tears. She couldn't for the life of her figure out how this had happened. She had her bag with her the whole time, so it couldn't have been accidentally placed in there. Surely she would have noticed if someone had tried to plant it in there without her knowing.

One of the guards had a message put in through his headset device and so made his way out the room. She waited again patiently until the door to the room opened and standing there was her father and Laguna. She shot up from her seat drying her eyes and rushed to her father. He took her into a hug and smoothed down her hair telling her it would be alright.

She looked over at Laguna who smiled at her sympathetically. She expected Squall to walk in, but he was nowhere in sight.

The guard that brought them in, came in with another man, a taller man in Red Uniform and a fierce look of authority.

"General Caraway," The man held his hand out to him, "I'm Officer Biggs I work for the Department of Customs/Imports and Exports."

The General shook the man's hand and got straight to the point. "Now I don't see how this could have happened." The General was saying to the Pier Department Officer.

"Well your daughter was found with illegal substances in her hand bag. We found a bag of Cannabis which is a class B drug under Trabian laws." The man explained looking from the General to his daughter.

"Dad, I swear I didn't know it was in my bag, I don't even know how it got there." Rinoa cried looking up hopefully at her father.

"Regardless of whether she is using it, she could face a minimum of 5 years for possession." Biggs replied. Rinoa brimmed with tears again.

"Look Sir, is there any way this doesn't need to go to court?" Laguna spoke up.

"I'm sorry Sir, I wish I could help but laws are laws. We can't differentiate because she's the General's daughter." Biggs replied.

"But it's not mine." Rinoa cried pleading the man.

"I know ma'am, but this bag does belong to you and that's where it was found."

She didn't bother to answer; she dug her head into her father chest and let the tears continue to trail down.

"Sir, please if there is any way we can sort this out without it going to court?" Caraway pleaded.

Biggs looked around uncertain. "Maybe I can contact the Mayor to come down and speak to you." He said to which the General eagerly nodded. "I can't promise anything though."

"No, I know." Caraway replied.

"Alright, Wedge head over to the village and inform the Mayor, see if he'll see to them." Biggs spoke to the guard at the back.

"Right away Sir." The guard replied and left the room.

Rinoa sighed, she knew her trial wasn't over. She could only pray to God that the Mayor would be merciful and hear her plea.

* * *

The phone rang and Squall shot up, pushing past Quistis as she was walking into the room, and dived to pick it up.

"Hello!" He yelled into the phone expecting it to be his father, the General or Rinoa. He hoped it was the latter; he hated sitting idle not being able to help in any way unknowing to what was going on.

"Good Morning, I'm calling from Dream Land Holiday-" before the person on the other line could continue Squall cut the connection and cursed to himself.

"Wrong number?" Seifer asked though he knew the answer.

"Stupid telesales." Squall muttered walking back to his armchair with the cordless in hand.

The group had gathered back at Squall's house being given the day off from school. It was now 10:00am and they were tired from waiting around without any news or update.

"I hope she's okay." Selphie said for the fourth time.

"Hmm." Seifer replied thinking to himself.

"I still can't figure it out, how could it have gotten into her bag?" Quistis thought biting on her thumbnail.

"I know, Rinny never leaves her bag unattended; she's always scared of having her purse stolen or having spiders crawl into it." Selphie answered.

"Do you think someone could have put it in secretly?" Zell asked thinking outwardly.

"Who?" Seifer asked. He wanted to believe someone did, he wanted to believe Rinoa was innocent, but without any hard evidence it wasn't something they could prove. "Everyone on that trip pretty much likes her or doesn't even know her. The only person she's had any encounters with is Lauren and she wasn't even there."

"I know, but I mean, it did just happen after that stuff came out about her in the newspapers. Anyone could have been paid to do it?" Zell suggested considering all options.

"That's true!" Selphie cried shooting up from her seat. "Anyone could have been paid to make her look bad."

"Yeah, but who?" Seifer asked not wanting their theories to get ahead of themselves.

"I don't know." Selphie moaned sitting back down.

Squall had enough; he took the cordless phone and was about to head out of the room having heard enough of their endless theories. The phone rang again so he pressed down on the green call button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello." He spoke in monotone.

"Squall, it's me." Laguna spoke back.

"Dad, how is she?" He asked excited.

"She's fine. We've arranged to speak with the Mayor of Shumi Village; we're to see him in 10 minutes. I just called to tell you not to worry."

"I want to come over." He demanded looking around the room for his keys.

"No don't. You're not needed here; besides, once this is over we'll back before you even get here."

"You don't know that. I want to be there with her." He explained hoping to make his father understand the need he had to make sure she was alright.

"Squall, listen to me. Let me handle this, trust me." Laguna spoke calmly to his son. The last thing he needed was for Squall to come rushing in and make things worse.

"How are you going to handle this? He won't listen to you. You're a stranger." Squall countered.

"Squall, trust me."

* * *

Rinoa, Laguna and the General walked into the meeting room of the Shumi Village Council and sat down opposite the Mayor.

"I'm pleased you could meet with us in such a short notice." The General held his hand out.

"Not a problem." The man replied.

"I am General Caraway of Galbadia; this is er, my good friend Laguna Loire." The General introduced both men.

"Nice to meet you." Both men acknowledged each other and shook hands.

"My daughter, as you know, was found with Cannabis in her bag. However, she denies it belongs to her nor did she know she was in possession of it." Caraway explained.

"I understand." The Mayor nodded and looked at Rinoa. "You don't seem like the type to take drugs." He smiled at her.

She smiled back worried and looked at her father.

"Well, what I'd like to know is if you didn't put it in your bag, how did it get there." He asked looking at her for an explanation of some sort.

"I don't know." She replied honestly.

"Well, did you leave your bag unattended?" The Mayor asked.

"No." She replied honestly.

"Could anyone have put it into your bag by mistake?"

"I had my bag with me the whole time." She confessed.

"This doesn't look good. You claim it isn't yours, that you didn't put it into your bag, yet you also say you had your bag with you the whole time." The Mayor said taking off his spectacles and wiping them with his tie before replacing them back.

"I honestly don't know how it got there." She replied unable to explain.

"Rinoa, give us a breakdown of the events during the trip." Laguna asked hoping some information could be drawn from her recollection.

"Er, well, we got to Shumi Village the day before yesterday about 13:30 and went straight to the hotel. After that we all assembled outside the main hall to meet with the Mayor." She said her eyes wandering around the room as if the answers were written above her. "Erm, after that we got into our groups and started on the field practical, then dinner and bed."

"That was the first day?" Laguna asked.

"Yeah." She replied nodding. "The second day we had breakfast and then went out to meet Skippy. We took par-"

"Who?" The Mayor asked frowning.

"Skippy, he was our instructor." She clarified.

"What was his full name?" The Mayor asked.

"Oh, I don't know, he just said his name was Skippy." She answered blinking.

The Mayor turned to one of his associates and whispered something to him. The man nodded and walked out of the room.

"Ok continue." The Mayor requested.

"Oh, er, yeah, so we went and did the practical, then I got hungry and went with Quistis to get some food."

"Did you have your bag with you?" Laguna asked.

"Yeah." She replied turning to him.

"Could anyone have put something in there while you weren't looking?" Luguna asked eagerly hoping somehow they could find a possibility and clear her of the allegations.

"No, it was always under my arm. The only time I didn't have it was on the first day during the lake practical but it was locked in the hotel room." She responded realising there was no explanation behind it.

"Did you put your bag down at any time?" Caraway asked also trying to find a way out.

"Yeah but it was right next to me."

"When." The Mayor asked looking equally as hopeful as Caraway.

"Yesterday. I was sitting on the grass and had it next to me." She answered.

"And was anyone with you?" He asked eyes wide.

"Yeah that Skippy guy."

"And did he say anything to you?" He asked again.

"Yeah, just asked me about my future plans and where I wanted to study."

The man who went out before walked back in and whispered something into the Mayor's ear. The Mayor nodded and the man walked back out only to walk in again with a petite woman wearing a knee length black skirt, black blazer and a white collar shirt.

She handed him a piece of paper which he read, his eye focused and his forehead creased.

"Sir, the receptionist at the hotel said someone handed in this ID badge." She said and handed over the badge.

"Thank you." He replied and looked over at Rinoa. "Miss Caraway, was this man your instructor?" He asked showing her the ID badge. It was Skippy alright, donned in his instructor uniform and grinning into the camera.

"Yes, that's him." She cried. She was still unsure what this meant, but she felt relief knowing her assumptions of him were right. There was something weird about him; she was hoping she'd finally find out just what.

"Gentlemen, at the moment I cannot clear Miss Caraway of the allegations," The Mayor started explaining, "that is due to this new issue that has arisen. This character 'Skippy' is actually a Shumi citizen. He left a couple of years ago to pursue a photography career with a Galbadian newspaper company. However the money wasn't good and he soon started working freelance."

Caraway looked over at Laguna puzzled by this new information and what it had to do with Rinoa.

"How he got back to Shumi and how he got away with acting as an instructor is beyond me. But I am afraid I will have to postpone all charges against Miss Caraway until I sort out this issue. I think there is a link here." The Mayor continued to explain.

"Mayor, couldn't you drop the charges? You yourself don't seem to believe Miss Caraway is guilty of the allegations." Laguna pleaded.

"I'm sorry Mr Loire, but until the matter is dealt with the allegations will have to remain."

"Well, how long will I be under this false allegations?" Rinoa asked impatiently.

"That I am not sure of, Shumi Village isn't a very developed country. Our investigation team will do it's best to look into this matter and hopefully get it sorted between 6 months to a year." He replied as if it wasn't all that long.

"A year?" Rinoa cried in shock. How was she to survive a whole year with an allegation of drug handling?

"I'm sorry, but I will do my very best." The Mayor tried to console her.

"What if you were to get help from the best investigation team in Esthar?" Laguna inquired. Rinoa and Caraway looked at him in surprise not believing he'd expose himself. It was futile really, in only a couple of hours the whole world would find out who Laguna Loire was.

The Mayor chuckled. "Well, if you think the President of Esthar is willing to hand me over his team, then by all means please ask him if he will." He replied continuing to laugh along with his associates.

"I will." Laguna responded smoothly. The Mayor stopped laughing and frowned. He looked over at Caraway who smirked and nodded.

* * *

The group were still lazing around in Squall's living room. Quistis was flipping through the channels bored, she wasn't paying attention to what was on, she was too busy thinking of Rinoa.

Selphie lay across the sofa her head resting on Irvine's lap as they both conversed quietly.

Squall was pacing the room waiting for the phone to ring again. It had been four hours since his father last called him_. What could be taking so long?_ He thought to himself. His patience was wearing thin, he wanted to see Rinoa, he wanted to make sure she was okay.

The doorbell rang and Squall raced to the door only to open it to find Seifer and Zell back from the town.

"It's us." Zell pitifully announced. Squall walked back into the living room with the two boys following him.

"Food." Selphie stated and got up making her way over to the carrier bags the boys had just dumped on the coffee table.

"I'll get plates." Quistis offered and went to the kitchen.

"Squall, come and eat, you haven't had anything since you got back." Selphie said looking over and smiling sympathetically.

"I'm not hungry." He replied and leaned against the wall. He couldn't understand how his friends could eat at a time like this. He was too worried about Rinoa to do anything but pace around the entire house.

"Squall, eat something." Quistis urged, but the boy only shook his head.

Seifer had only put a chip into his mouth when the sound of keys jingling came from the front door. Squall rushed to the door again and opened it before the person could even turn the key to the lock.

Laguna stood in front of him surprised yet smiling, he gestured to Squall to move out of the way. Squall took a couple of steps back and allowed the man to come in followed by the General. But Rinoa was nowhere in sight.

"Where is she?" He asked in disbelief that they'd leave her behind; this was exactly the reason why he wanted to go along; so she wouldn't get left back.

Laguna smiled at his son sweetly, "Getting her things out of the car."

Squall darted past the General and ran out the door. He rushed down the drive way and went around the back of the Lexus with its open boot to find Rinoa struggling with her duffle bags.

Her head shot towards him as he stopped abruptly next to her. She couldn't hold it in any longer. All the emotions, all the trials, all the problems she had faced since she had gotten here were all down to him. Every problem had arisen from the desire she had for him, for the need to be around him, to be loved by him.

She dropped her bags to the floor and took a leap towards him throwing her arms over his shoulders and burying her head in his chest.

He held onto her tightly wrapping his arms around her and resting the side of his cheek on top of her head.

"I'm sorry I left you." He whispered to her.

"It's okay; if it wasn't for your Dad I wouldn't be here with you now." She muttered into his chest.

"Squall." Laguna called out walking up with the General close behind. "Sorry." He said modestly as he realised what the two were doing. "The General and I have to leave now, it's nearly 1 o'clock and we have that conference to attend to."

"Okay." Squall replied still holding his grip on Rinoa.

"Rinoa, will you be alright?" Caraway asked smiling at his daughter; he couldn't help but feel nostalgic at the scene remembering back to the days when he'd held her mother like that.

"I'll be fine now." She replied looking up at Squall a small thin smile playing on her lips.

* * *

"… and that's how Laguna got me out of this mess." Rinoa finished off explaining.

"I always knew there was something secretive about Laguna. Like how he could afford a place like this working for a magazine." Quistis said eyeing Squall carefully.

Squall smirked at her and looked down at Rinoa's body resting against him. He was sitting on his usual armchair along with Rinoa who happened to be taking up most of the seat. His arm draped around her, he brought her in closer feeling as if she'd disappear from right in front of him.

She had come into the house and accepted everyone's hugs and concern promising to tell them exactly what happened. Feeling the need to shower after the long ordeal she went up to the bathroom quietly. Now her body feeling rejuvenated the only aspect left of the tribulations was in her gut; without the all clear she couldn't think about anything other than clearing her name of the imposing drug charges.

Currently the group sat around the lounge talking about Rinoa's meeting with the Mayor and the assumptions on the Skippy character, though there wasn't much to discuss on either matter.

"Oh they're speaking!" Selphie cried out and turned up the TV volume.

The General sat along with other Galbadian officials to his right. Laguna sat on his left with two other men, one a tall broad man with a vivid scar running across his face and another a dark skinned skinny man with long braids falling behind him.

The General introduced himself and thanked the council for attending. From below the stage, reporters were busy with their microphones poised in midair and photographer's taking shots every second. Further beyond the Press sat citizens of Esthar, Galbadia and other nations watching and waiting intently for the arrival of the President of Esthar.

"… _so I take great pleasure in introducing you to our new alliance, friend and family President Laguna Loire of Esthar." _The General spoke gesturing to Laguna sitting next to him.

The photographer's snapped up pictures and a round of applause was heard amongst the crowd as well as a few whistles, most presumably from Estharians.

"_I thank you for the welcome. I would firstly like to explain Esthar's history. 13 years ago when Esthar took down President Adel the country was left in fear, turmoil and despair. We were a county that was suffering from an unjust regime, an internal threat. It was for that reason why Esthar closed its doors and ceased to exist amongst the world." _Laguna spoke directly to the quiet audience.

Rinoa blinked hard trying to stay focused, she felt impatient, she just wanted to rush to the part where they announced they were going to play nicely and put aside all this war business.

She rested her head against Squall's chest feeling his heartbeat. It was a steady rhythm pounding inside his solid chest. She smiled to herself at the irony of it all. The last time she had felt his heartbeat she had confessed her love to him. And only seconds later she was running out of his room in tears. She grimaced at the memory and the realisation that she still had neither guarantee nor closure.  
Yes, she was in his arms, but what did it mean? He had admitted to Seifer he loved her, but he still hadn't said it to her. The only hope she had of them finally being together was the hold he had on her now. But for how much longer would he be holding her? _Once the allegations are dropped, will he still hold on to me?_ She looked up at him as he sat focused on the TV screen. She couldn't help think to herself how he was only holding her in his arms because she was in a state of vulnerability. Deciding she'd have to approach the subject once they were alone she turned back to the screen.

"_We will now take questions from the press."_ The announcer spoke and a rush of hands came up.

"_Sam Ortell from The Daily Esthar. General what financial assistance are expected of Esthar?"_

The first couple of questions were the normal business and political questions, nothing the group were interested in. The General and Laguna answered as many as they could and kept a positive posture throughout. It was a bargain they had to sell; they needed the people to know it was positive outcome for both countries.

"… _we are here to help. Esthar is more than capable to accommodate and in no way would expect any country to lose out on economic gain. I promise you, this treaty is a way for peace."_ Laguna finished off saying and sat back.

"_General, how do you explain the recent images of your daughter? How can the people of Esthar trust in your authority?" _

"_Those pictures are nothing but lies. Who my daughter wishes to date is her business and her privacy, just like any other seventeen year old." _Caraway coolly answered.

"_If those are lies what about the drug allegation she received this morning in Shumi Village?" _A woman spoke out in a thick Centri accent. She was clad in a red v-neck dress that went all the way down to her feet ending in a trail. Her hair was long and silver with slight purple highlights that matched the purple make-up she was also wearing.

"_Mecia, how did you hear about that?" _The General asked surprised.

"_So it is true?" _She smirked challenging him.

The General didn't speak; he just glared at her not knowing how she had found. The Mayor said he'd keep it a secret until they sorted out the Skippy problem; it was just like Mecia to use a private affair to make the General look incompetent and unstable. She had, after all, been after his position for a while now. This was just the type of dirt she needed to squirm her way into power.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, how kan we expect a loose man, with a loose drug addictive daughter to run our kountries?"_ She cried out loudly staring coldly at Caraway. _"How kan you trust a man who kannot even kontrol his unstable promiscuous daughter? If he is failing as a father, he will fail as a leader!"_

Rinoa pushed herself away from Squall looking distressingly at the TV screen, her father was trying to calm down the situation but the people were already eager to hear about the drug allegation. Reporters kept asking questions regarding the matter and why Caraway was unfit as a parent.

Of course security came in and took Mecia out, but as she was seen being led away, quite a few reporters followed trying to get more information from the woman.

It got worse, a man got up and started shouting something, it was muffled at first but soon a microphone was thrust upon him and the viewers could finally hear what he was saying.

"_Esthar does not need this country, we should rid ourselves of these common filth, you are not fit as a leader and you are brainwashing our leader! Esthar is free from your filth!"_ The man continued shouting getting support from those around him.

"_You xenophobes! We don't want your stinking country!"_ A cry could be heard.

"_Rot in hell Estharian dogs! Galbadia will never ally with you!"_

It continued like that with the General and Laguna trying to calm the situation. The security came in and tried to separate the people taking out the loose cannons one by one.

Rinoa and Squall just looked at each other; it wasn't supposed to happen like that. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion; it was a treaty of peace, a treaty of two nations coming together. Instead the countries that were once at war seemed to be plunged further into the entangled mess that could only result in history repeating itself.

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Alright so now you know what the plots about, and who Skippy has been working for all this time.

**But the surprises aren't finished, this is only the first layer, the icing on the top is yet to come.**

**Read and Review please!**


	16. Breaking News

**Alright, here is a present to you all, a Squinoa scene.**

**Again, thanks to n9nestar, crepesculo4ever, effect20, Trev James, HoplessRomantic-x, MonMonCandie and Scribbleness for continuous reviews.**

**I've decided to also post my new story: Breaking Through Appearances, please check it out and review.**

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Chapter 16 - Breaking News

"Here, Dad." Rinoa called out to her father whose head was in his hands. He looked up and took the tea cup off her and placed it on the coffee table without even sipping it.

"Fury, don't worry, we'll sort this out." Laguna said positively sitting across from the General.

"Mecia has been after power for a long time, she's been waiting for me to slip up. I think she just may have found her opening." Caraway exhaled miserably.

"I can't believe she was behind all this. The pictures, drugs, Skippy." Rinoa said in disbelief. "I cant believe she'd resort to such petty lengths to get you out of power."

"That woman will go to any lengths to get power. She's dominated most of Centra for the past fours years, I have theories of her trying to become the next Adel." Caraway said in bitterness, recollecting his memories from thirteen years ago when President Adel was in power.

"Look, we'll call on another conference, this time just the council; we can sort this mess." Laguna tried to persuade the older man.

"No, I need to head to Deling City, this will only get worse. The sooner I'm able to take control the better." The General said getting up from the couch and taking off his blazer.

"Dad, are you sure you can't stay another day?" Rinoa asked putting her hands together in hope.

"Sorry dear, I wish I could." He answered kissing her forehead and walking off to his room.

"Give him some time, sweetie." Laguna advised getting up and heading out of the room. Rinoa nodded understanding the predicament her father was in. Not only did he have to sort out the slander that was plastered across the newspapers about his family, but also having to get Shumi to drop Rinoa's charges, as well as sorting out the mess of his own country.

She turned around and faced Squall who was leaning against the showcase. He smiled at her in sympathy.

"Squall, this is so bad." She moaned dropping onto the sofa and putting her legs up.

"Don't worry, it'll sort itself out." He replied making his way to her chair and sitting on the arm.

"How do you know?" She asked perplexed at his optimism.

"Things always do." He said smiling.

She realised the hidden meaning and thought it would be the best time to bring it up.

"Squall, I wanted to talk about something but I'm not sure when would be the best time." She told him getting herself mentally prepared.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked, though he knew the answer.

She hesitated and took a deep breath threw her nose. She looked back up to his eyes. "I wanted to talk about what's been happening with us." She finally blurted out.

"Ok." He agreed.

Neither said anything, both waiting for the other to go first. The silence was continuing as Squall anticipated what Rinoa was going to say, and she trying to think of how to approach the subject.

She pressed her lips together looking upwards thinking from which point she should start. She tried to analyse just where the problems all started. Trying to think back to each problem she faced, she traced its footsteps back to the root until she reached the starting point. It was like a monopoly board game, having to retrace your steps to figure out how you got stuck in jail.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" She asked suddenly.

Squall blinked at her having no idea where the question came from. "Yeah, when I had to show you around school."

"When I first saw you I didn't know who you were until Seifer said your name. But in that second where I was ignorant of who you were, I liked what I saw." She said embarrassedly.

Squall wasn't sure what to say, so remained silent only nodding to show he was listening.

"Anyways, the morning I met you, Quistis told me about you, and that she liked you." She continued to explain. "The tickets she gave you were mine. I gave them to her so she could get you to come out on a date with her."

Squall sat up, it was like music to ears; there was so much he wasn't aware of behind all the problems they had faced.

"See, you had made a joke that day, do you remember what it was?" She asked, looking at him curiously.

"No." He shook his head.

She giggled lightly. "Squall, you told Dr. Kadowaki I was your girlfriend."

"Oh yeah." He had forgotten that piece of information. It seemed like centuries ago that they had met; it felt surreal that time had caused so much to go on within the space of two months.

"Well, even though I knew it was a joke, Quistis didn't take it very well. When she got home that day she made me promise something." She looked at him again closely. "She made me promise to never go out with you."

"And did you agree?" He asked tilting his head.

"Yeah." She replied quickly. "I only agreed because I didn't want to upset her, though I knew it was something I would probably regret. I spent the rest of the month hanging out with Seifer and Selphie trying to stay away from you. But then I thought if we couldn't like each other then we could at least be friends."

She pushed herself up from leaning on the backrest of the couch and faced his body.

"Squall, I don't know why, and I can't explain how, but I stopped liking you… and started falling in love…" She trailed off. It was harder for her to say it now without feeling embarrassed.

He looked down at his ring and started playing with it keeping his mouth and thoughts shut. He needed her to explain everything; he had to wait before he spoke. He didn't want to ruin the moment by forcing her to say something to please him.

"But I couldn't do anything because of Quistis; I didn't want her to think I was betraying her. I also thought that I'd get over it. But the more time went on the stronger I felt about you." She continued. She took a deep breath and took off her black cardigan; she was feeling hot and her confession wasn't helping her keep cool.

"When we went to Selphie's party, I found out that the picture of me and Seifer was posted by Quistis." Squall looked at her through frowned eyes. "Yeah," She nodded, "I was surprised too. She had done it because she thought we were getting close. After a few harsh words with Quistis, I had drink spilled on me and Lauren took me upstairs to get cleaned. Somehow Seifer got pushed in and we got locked inside. That's when you found us."

It was like fitting puzzle pieces together, everything was making sense; how they had gotten into this web of problems and plunged further into the mess without explanation. Yet there were always two sides to a story, two sides of a coin. There were things Rinoa didn't know and Squall thought to himself that it was only fair he should share his knowledge behind their problems.

"I was so mad at Quistis I terminated the promise. That's when I told you of my feelings; I guess I felt comfortable because I heard you talking to Ellone the night before." She explained to a blushing Squall. He remembered the conversation he had with Ellone and grimaced at the thought of Rinoa hearing exactly how he felt about her.

"But then you didn't want anything to do with me, and I thought it was because you thought there was something going on with me and Seifer, I didn't realise there was more to it." She finished off saying. She didn't need to go into detail; they both knew she was referring to his phobia of getting close to someone due to losing his mother.

He took a deep breath. After she didn't speak for a couple of minutes, he took it upon himself to explain his side of the story.

"If I go back to when we first met," He started off, "when I saw you, I too liked what I saw." He said with great difficulty. "But when you told me you were Quistis's cousin, I knew I couldn't do anything, yet." He added, receiving raised eyebrows from Rinoa.

"I only agreed to go on that date with Quistis because it was a group thing and I thought I could set her up with Seifer. Otherwise, I had said no to her plenty of times before." He continued.

"When we went on that date, to be honest it was a disaster for me, the whole time I just wanted to be sitting next to you." He embarrassedly explained looking away from her as she grinned. It was surreal for her to hear Squall actually speaking for a long length of time, let alone talk about his feelings.

"But again, the whole month you kept spending time with Seifer and I just kept watch. I developed these feelings for you and I guess they grew stronger as time passed. I was elated when you came to stay with us; I thought it would give us a time to get to know each other properly."

He took a deep breath again and quickly exhaled. She put a hand on his knee for support; it was the least she could do now that he had opened up to her. She kept praying that his explanation would lead to the same thing she also desired.

"I'll admit, I was angry when I saw you with Seifer, but I knew it couldn't be real. Lauren taking me up to the bathroom was closure enough."

He jumped off the arm of the chair and walked towards the window exercising his back muscles. _Now or never. _He thought to himself. He needed to tell her his fears; he needed to explain his actions. Yet he couldn't shake the phobia away; he still felt as if he'd lose her.

"My mum died when I was 10. I was really close to her. I'm not much of a talker, never have been. But I'd talk to her; tell her how I was felling, what I wanted to do in the future. All sorts of things. But when she died, I lost the person I felt most comfortable to talk to. So I closed up." He said solemnly looking out of the window. He looked up at splattered yellow and white dots making up the stars in the canvas of black that was the sky.

"She was the closest to me and I couldn't deal with the fact that I'd never see her again. That I'd never talk to her again, never see her smile, or hear her tell me she loved me. She was gone, and I was left with his great weight in my chest; I felt empty and hurt."

Rinoa got up from her sitting position and walked behind him. She didn't want to make a sound in case it caused him to stop talking. She stood behind him waiting for him to continue.

"So I shut off. I didn't let myself get close to anyone. I knew it'd be hard for me to deal with losing Ellone or Laguna, but I didn't want to add anyone else to that list. It was easy. There was no one special in my life." He paused. "Until you came along." He replied softly.

He closed his eyes shutting them tight. Thinking about Raine was bringing tears to his eyes and he didn't want Rinoa to see them. Once he felt the wetness of his eyes lessen, he opened them again and swallowed the huge pill like feeling in his throat.

"But I ended up getting close to you; I wanted you to like me and completely forgot about my phobia. It wasn't until I saw you with Seifer that I had realised how close I had gotten. Then I got scared and stayed away; I didn't understand how it all happened, or why out of all the girls I had met, you had such an impact on me."

He turned expecting her to be sitting on the armchair but was surprised she was standing right in front of him.

He looked down into her brown eyes; she looked like she was searching for something hoping to find something in his eyes.

"I guess when I hurt you, I broke out of the spell and realised I was the one doing the hurting." He couldn't explain it. How could he explain to her why he loved her when he couldn't explain it to himself? There was no explanation to why she, out of all the girls in Balamb, caught his eye. Why she had caught his heart, and why he had caught hers.

"Rinoa, has anything changed?" He asked fearing the inevitable. Although he knew she still loved him, he couldn't help but think she'd prefer not to pursue anything. Every time they tried, one problem or another occurred.

"A lot has changed." She replied sadly. He closed his eyes grimacing in her answer. He had to face it; things had to change. With all the problems going on, and the tensions and drama between them, he'd have to be deluding himself to think her feelings wouldn't have changed.

He had his chance, twice, and he blew it. How could he expect her to remain in love with him after the way he treated her?

"I'm sorry." He said to her regretfully.

She stepped forward and put her arms around his neck pushing her body onto his and hugged him. She felt his arms encircle around her waist as he buried his head in the nook of her neck and shoulder.

"You have nothing to apologise for. We can't help the things that go on. There are no guarantees in life Squall. The only guarantee is death." She scoffed rubbing the back of his head. His hair felt silky and smooth under her fingers. "Everything is just a series of set-ups. Life is a set-up. You just have to get over the obstacles by keeping strong and determined - then you'll get what you want." She enlightened him. "Squall, my life in Deling was so different compared to how it is in Balamb." She tried looking at him but his head was still buried in her neck.

"Squall." She waited for him to look at her but he didn't. "Things have changed."

She took one of her hands and placed it under his chin pulling his head off her shoulder and looking at him. His forehead was slightly red from having it pressed onto her shoulder for such a length of time.

She traced a finger across his scar, the scar that made his already immaculate face even more perfect. He was so beautiful, not just because of his smooth skin, or his trance like eyes, or his chiselled nose. But because of his high cheek bones, his sharp jaw line and the way his brow bone protruded out emphasising the shape of his eyes and the scar that cut across.

"But the way I feel about you hasn't changed. I still love you; I'm still _in_ love with you." She said nervously as her heart decided to turn up its tempo and thud like thunder in her chest.

He slumped his shoulders letting out a huge wave of relief. He pulled her in again, cupping her head in his hands and rested his forehead against hers.

She giggled at the feeling and their closeness. It didn't feel awkward; it felt right. It was just dreamlike that she'd be in Squall's arms telling him she loved him and he wasn't pushing her away.

"Squall." She giggled looking into his closed eyelids. He kept his eyes closed and just continued breathing against her face, his breath smelled of peppermint mixing in with his cologne. She smiled at him, revelling in his bizarre behaviour.

"Rinoa, I love you. I love you. I love you." He repeated still keeping his eyes closed and trying with might to keep his heart pace down.

She couldn't help it; she just laughed into his face elated at finally hearing his response and so held him tighter.

The sound of their heartbeats was muffled by a louder repetitive sound.

They both turned to find Ellone, Laguna and Caraway at the doorway clapping.

"Bravo!" Laguna cried while the other two laughed.

Squall pushed Rinoa away from his body nearly knocking her down, but causing her to stumble instead. She quickly balanced herself by hanging onto the window ledge. Squall put a nervous hand to the back of his head scratching it.

"What are you doing?" He asked flushed and red faced that he'd had an audience to witness his confession.

"Oh Squall, don't be shy." Laguna coerced him by making hand gestures to Rinoa.

The raven haired girl could only giggle. Of course she too was embarrassed that her father witnessed her display of affection, but it was just too hilarious looking at Squall's beetroot face and ashamed eyes.

"As beautiful as this scene is, and as happy I am for you both, I'm sorry to say we've got to leave early in the morning." Caraway announced. "You should get some rest; I'll have to drop you off early tomorrow."

The two teens nodded waiting for the three to disappear. The two men left first and then Ellone, not before she gave a squeak and pretended to wipe away a false tear.

Now alone, Squall took Rinoa's hand in his. She yawned placing her other hand in front of her mouth and letting her eyes tear up. She was so tired from the long day and the lack of rest she had due to the events that had taken place.

Squall pulled at her hand forcing her to walk to the doorway leading her in to the passage way. He led her upstairs and into her bedroom. He sat her on the bed and looked at her.

"We still need to solve the Skippy problem." He said to her reminding her of the present problems they still had to endure.

"I know." She sighed.

"We'll do this together, you're not alone." He smiled at her. It was a modest smile, very subtle, but it meant a whole lot. Squall's rare smiles were what kept her going, that and the recent confessions. Now with Squall beside her, her knight in shining leather amour, she could tackle any obstacles that came at her.

"Thank you." She said genuinely and smiled back.

Letting go of her hand, he walked to the door and took the doorknob. "Get some rest, you must be tired." He advised her almost closing the door in front of him.

She kicked off her socks and got under the covers smiling at him with her hand under her cheek.

"Sweet dreams." He called out to her with a smirk.

Too tired to talk and feeling the weights that were her eyelids she yawned and tried focusing her tired eyes on him. She mouthed to him her reply and quickly caught his smile before she closed her eyes.

"I love you, too." He replied hitting the light switch and closing the door.

* * *

Saturday evening and Quistis was setting the dining room table ready for dinner while Rinoa was bringing in dishes from the kitchen. It wasn't a big event, but both girls had invited their respective partners over to join them.

Rinoa had arrived at the Trepe's house after breakfast unpacking her belongings straight away. While packing the two girls talked about the recent events and Caraway's plans to tackle Mecia's claims. It was during this conversation Rinoa had mentioned how Squall had offered to help her with the Skippy problem and how they came to a common understanding. Quistis, always being the smart one, read in between the lines and suggested they invite Squall and Seifer over for dinner.

Anna came in placing the hot plates containing the evening meal down on the table.

"Quistis, tell your father to bring the boys in now." She told her daughter who merrily skipped off to the living room in search of Seifer.

"You alright, love?" Anna asked Rinoa, catching the raven haired girl in deep contemplation.

"Yeah." Rinoa said a bit too quickly. "I was just thinking about Dad." She said guiltily smiling.

"Your father's a big boy, he'll be able to handle that witch." She replied supportively.

"Thank you for the invite, Miss Trepe." Squall said to Anna as he walked in and took a seat.

"Oh Squall, please don't call me Mrs Trepe, makes me feel old!" The woman laughed sitting down. "You boys have known me far too long not to be using my name."

"You know Anna, you look more like Quistis's sister than her mum." Seifer teasingly complimented the older woman who blushed and let out a heartfelt giggle. Quistis just rolled her eyes at Seifer's antics; women always fell for his cheap compliments, but not her.

Rinoa held Squall's hand under the table smiling at him as he turned to her. He smiled back and squeezed her hand before letting go and starting on his food.

They made general chatter through dinner. Quistis informed her parents about her recent trip to Centra and her decision to study Computing at Balamb University.

Rinoa took that time to think about her own future. She had always planned to go to University of Galbadia, but after coming to Balamb and meeting Squall she wasn't so sure if her intentions was the same. Now thinking about going off to university for three years meant going off somewhere with the possibility of going without Squall. It wasn't a conversation she had had with him before. She didn't even know whether he planned to go to University, and if he did it would most probably be Balamb seeing as Ellone was already studying there.

Deciding it was another conversation she'd have to have with him, she concentrated on her food and let her mind rest from all her problems and thoughts.

* * *

"So then I said to him, "Seifer, if you know what's good for you, you'll - Rinoa are you listening?" Quistis cried making the raven haired jump in her seat.

"Sorry." Rinoa quickly apologised looking at her cousin guiltily.

"Dude, that's like the fifth time you've zoned out on me. What's the big deal?" She asked demanding an explanation.

The two were sitting at home on a Sunday afternoon eating ice cream off the kitchen counter. Quistis was talking about how easy it was to get Seifer to do things for her while Rinoa kept wandering off into day dreams.

"Nothing." She tried to steer Quistis back to the conversation.

"Nothing? You've come back with the Squall disease; you zone out constantly and whenever I ask you anything, you give me one word replies. What gives?" Quistis replied annoyed.

"Seriously, nothing; I just got a lot on my mind." She tried excusing herself.

"Well, it's obviously more interesting then what I have to say, so spill." Quistis threatened pulling away the ice-cream tub.

Rinoa stuck her tongue out at the girl and put her spoon down. "I don't know. Its been two days now and I just want to know if they found that Skippy guy."

"Oh." Quistis felt guilty, she had forgotten about her cousin's impending drug allegations.

"We have school tomorrow as well and I really don't want to go in with everyone knowing everything about me." She continued. She looked down at the counter sadly imagining what it'd be like to return to school with everyone whispering and judging her for something she knew she was innocent of. The only way to clear herself was to find Skippy and set the record straight.

"Rin, don't worry, Laguna will have people on it, trust me. Esthar is really advanced; they'll tackle that guy so bad you'll be cleared in no time." Quistis comforted the girl patting her back.

"Let's hope so." She replied back not so optimistic.

Quistis's phone rang so she went to pick it up. Rinoa grabbed the ice-cream tub and started digging into it again.

"Hey Selphie, what's up?" Quistis spoke into the phone. "No we're in the kitchen, why?" She asked.

Rinoa looked up at Quistis's worried frowning face. She knew immediately something was wrong and she prayed it had nothing to do with Squall. Gulping the ice-cream in her mouth and got up from her seat half way.

"Ok, well I'll turn it on and see, thanks Selph." Quistis replied and finally hung the phone up.

"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked straight away.

"Come on." Quistis ordered making her way to the living room. Once there she took the remote control and turned the TV on. She pressed a few buttons until she reached the channel she wanted. It was the broadcast of the latest new.

Rinoa sat down on the sofa shocked at what she was seeing. It was a video image of a street in Deling City, it was dusk and people were on the streets throwing things about. To one corner there was a trash can caught on fire and several people wearing balaclavas were chucking bricks, glass bottles and other items towards the line of Galbadian policemen.

"…_once policemen called for back-up the resistance ceased, causing an end to the horrific scene."_ The voiceover finally ended.

A man appeared in the scene walking towards the camera and pointing around the now desolate street that moments ago was alight with flames and people.

"_This is the end result of the first of many attacks by the Galbadian Defence League that left Deling City shaken. The people living on this street are known to be in support of Caraway and the Galbadian government's decision to make peace with Esthar. It has been reported that a clash with the neighbouring borough caused the attack on this street."_

The man disappeared and the camera footage of the attacks were shown again.

"_The GDL is an organisation in opposition of the leading government. The founder of the group is Ulti Mecia of Centri origins. Mecia was last seen in the Peace Conference between Galbadian and Estharian governments. She outwardly opposed the treaty, citing General Caraway as a bad and influential leader._

_The GDL, as seen in this video footage, stormed into this busy Deling street throwing petrol bombs, bricks and even stones. Many businesses closed it's doors, alerting police officials onto the scene. This hotel was just one of many that accommodated for injured civilians._

_George Martine, Deling City, Channel 6 News."_

The screen split in two, one was the live footage of the man in the streets of Deling and the other of the anchor woman of the channel 6 news.

"_We have George Martine live in the street of Deling City. George can you tell us what the atmosphere is like there?" _She asked and waited as the announcer processed her words before replying.

The man nodded and replied. _"Yes, Carol, as you can imagine the horror the citizens of this street has faced has left them on edge. There aren't many people walking the streets although police are patrolling. Many of the people feel it is unsafe to leave their homes and businesses. The Deling City Hotel has made room for free accommodation for those seeking refuge from the fear of being attacked." He concluded._

"_George how did this all start without the police or intelligent officials knowing anything about it?"_

"_Well that is the problem, it is something that will need to be investigated and the Galbadian government are criticizing their own actions and lack of intelligence. The GDL somehow managed to plan this attack without facing any trouble."_

"_Now you say the Galbadian government are criticizing their own actions, but what are they doing to prevent further attacks on the street or any other street?"_

"_Well as you know, this street is being patrolled by three hundred policemen, there is another unit sent out just off Maine Street Park and two more units spread across the city. The highest patrol is being carried out outside the Caraway mansion and the Houses of Galbadia."_

"_Going back to the GDL, you mentioned this is just the first attack, is there any proof of further attacks?" _The woman continued to question.

"_Yes, the GDL have announced through their website that this is just one of the first attacks on the city and there are more planned. Their aim is for an all Galbadian country forcing General Fury Caraway out of power and Ulti-Mecia to takeover."_

"_George, what does this mean for the other citizens of Galbadia, I mean this seems like xenophobic, fascist and racist behaviour."_

"_Yes Carol, you are absolutely right. The Estharians were once criticized for the very same attitude 13 years ago when they cut all ties with the world. Yet, we have now a forceful takeover that in doubt will lead to more injuries and more attacks. The civilians of the city can only hope that the government are able to calm the situation down and get help."_

"_And what help are they exactly hoping for?"_

The man waited again for her words to process before speaking. _"Well the Galbadian officials are expecting Esthar to help out if the situation escalates. However, many Estharians do not want to get involved after recent images of Rinoa Caraway have been spread like wild fire. The majority of Estharians are now backing away from the treaty, so it is a wonder where Galbdia will get help."_

"_Thank you George. That was our news correspondence George Martine live in Deling City. In other news, Trabia wins the World Cup, a first in World Cup history…"_

Rinoa sank in her chair, her face in disgust and horror. She couldn't believe what she had heard or seen, it was just unbelievable that such a disaster could take place.

"Rinny, are you ok?" Quistis asked walking up to the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine; I just need to see if my Dad is ok." She replied getting up and picking up the house phone. She dialled in Caraway's number and waited for him to pick up.

At the same time she heard her own phone go off and indicated to Quistis to pick it up.

"Caraway." The General spoke from the other side.

"Dad, how are you?" She shouted into the phone.

"Rinoa, I'm alright. I see that you've heard." He sounded tired.

"Yeah I'm so sorry, I wish I was there." She said tearfully.

"Don't cry dear, and you not being here is something I am happy about." He sighed. "Rinoa, you need to promise me you'll be careful, things could get very serious, and with the press realising you're in Balamb they're bound to do something." Caraway warned.

"Dad, don't worry about me, I'll be ok." She said praying in her head.

"Even so, I've talked to Laguna; they're coming to pick you up, I think it's better if you stay with them." Caraway informed her.

"Dad, what about Quistis, Anna and Jacques?" She asked worried for her family.

"I already have some people looking over them, but the area they live in isn't as safe as the Balamb Villas. I want you to pack your bags and be ready for them to come and pick you up."

"Dad, I don't want to leave Quistis." Rinoa pleaded.

"Rinoa." Caraway spoke sternly, the stress getting to him. "Quistis will be safe, you on the other hand I am not so sure, I have no idea what these people are planning."

"Ok." She caved in disheartened.

"Don't worry, there are people watching over Anna's house as we speak. I need to go now, I'm actually in the middle of a meeting. Speak to you soon."

"Ok Dad, take care. I love you." She said and ended the call.

Rinoa turned to face Quistis who handed her the phone.

"It was Squall; he wanted to check if you were ok." She replied while Rinoa nodded. "They're on their way coming to pick you up now."

"Quistis, I really don't want to leave you." She replied worried and hugged the blonde.

"Rin, don't worry about me, they don't even know who I am." She again comforted the girl.

"I don't know how all this could have happened." She said again in disbelief sitting down.

* * *

Ten minutes later and the doorbell rang. Rinoa got up and peeked through the peephole before opening the door. Seeing it safe she opened the door to the Loires.

She immediately walked into Squall's hug and let a few tears fall down to her cheeks.

"Rinoa, we don't have much time, you'll need to pack again." Laguna advised to which she nodded and walked towards her room upstairs.

Squall followed in pursuit and helped her pack her belongings into her luggage's.

They packed quietly until Squall cleared his throat making her look up at him expectantly.

"We got some news from Esthar today." He said to her sparking her interest.

"Ok." She answered wanting to hear more.

"They've caught Skippy." He said releasing a breath.

Rinoa closed her eyes thanking God. But her problems weren't over. Skippy was just a splinter in the stake, the real problem was going on in Deling City, and for that she had no idea how to fix.

**

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I know you will all probably hate me for yet another problem, but hey, its all part of the plan.  
On a serious note, i based this chapter on a couple of events that took place here in the UK. Its sad to say there are people much like the GDL that exist among us.

**Anyways, please read and review and also check out my other story - its so funny!**


	17. Interrogations in Esthar

**I know a lot of you wanted something bad to happen to Skippy but er, well my characters dont have much of a problem with him.**

**Chapter 17, read and review. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 17 - Interrogations in Esthar

"I want to go." Rinoa had said forcefully to Laguna.

"I'm not sure if it is the best thing for you to show up." Laguna had replied worriedly.

"Please Mr Loire, I want to hear it, I need to hear it for myself." She continued to plead. "I have my own questions to ask him. Besides, with everything going on in Deling, it's safer if I am with you."

"She has a point Dad." Ellone had said from across the kitchen, stirring the teabags inside the tea pot.

"I don't know." Laguna sighed looking into Rinoa's big doe eyes.

Squall looked from Rinoa to Laguna, he wondered whether he should make a point or just remain silent.

"Let her go, she deserves to hear it from the horse's mouth." He finally spoke hoping to persuade his father.

Laguna considered it, he was outnumbered after all. Aside from that, he had thought that all of them would be safer if he took them to Esthar. _But how will people react to Rinoa?_

"I'll be there to protect her." Squall has said almost reading the older man's mind.

"Ok." Laguna finally gave in, causing Rinoa to sigh out of relief and run upstairs to get her bags.

They were now on their way to Esthar via the Ragnarok airship. It was a large red dragon like rocket ship that soared the air, at a Mach of 9.6 it travelled 7,000mph.

Rinoa sat in the cockpit next to Squall who was helping Laguna control the ship. It was Estharian built, made specially for President Laguna to get to Balamb and back.

She rested against her chair feeling the smooth cool leather beneath her body adding a sensational massage from the vibration of the ship.

Squall had turned his head to check up on her and she smiled at him letting him know she was ok. Really, she kept thinking back to her problems; the Skippy issue and the issue with Deling City.

The former issue she was hoping would be sorted out quickly and she'd be given the all clear. The latter, she didn't even know how to react to it let alone think about a solution. It was all just too much for her, as if she was thrown into the deep end, and no matter how hard she tried; she kept being thrown into problem after problem.

Squall came and sat next to her quietly looking out into the night sky. The clouds had cleared and small dots could be seen within the black sky. Not many stars were out, and even if they had been it would have been hard to see with the pollution and lights of the Esthar.

"I'm here…" Squall tried to say to her.

"I know." She nodded understanding what he was trying to say.

They were quiet again, not knowing what to say to one another. Squall didn't want to keep talking about the problems in case it plunged her into further distress.

"Squall," she called out to him, "do the people of Esthar know who you are?" She asked curious.

"Yeah." He said in short.

"So how comes when those photos of you and me came out, no one said anything?" She asked suddenly. It was something that was bothering her for a while. The whole reason she moved to Balamb was because people in Deling knew who she was, had anything happened to her, they'd be sure to point out who she was. She was surprised no one did the same with Squall.

"Esthar isn't like other countries. We're a lot more reserved and private about our affairs. You'd have to be after 13 years of isolation." He explained.

"But surely there are other Estharians that live in Balamb, Galbadia, Trabia, surely they would have said something." She suggested still not satisfied.

"No." He said shaking his head. "Estharian people don't like gossip, even if they don't live in Esthar, it's just customary that they don't reveal anything personal about anyone."

"Why?" She asked still confused.

"Because we don't like meddling in people's affairs. Besides, the people of Esthar love Laguna, he saved them from oppression, destitution and injustice. They'd hardly do anything to upset him. We're not like a country; we're more like a family." He said looking down at the steel tiled floor.

She nodded quietly, she wished Galbadia were more like Esthar in that manner.

"While I was growing up, I'd always hear stories about my Dad being a saviour, a ray of light in their darkest hour. He was elected president when I was four, of course I didn't understand what that meant, I only realised everyone treated me with love, mercy and care." He looked at her with sorrowful eyes, "It was because they loved Laguna, they loved anyone that had anything to do with Laguna. They made him president, closed the doors to Esthar and lived like an extended family."

"Then how'd you get to Balamb?" She asked enquiring further into his past.

"A year after Laguna became president he wanted to return to Winhill, I think he always wanted Ellone and I to grow in the suburbs even though Esthar was pretty safe compared to other cities. But everyone in Winhill knew about us, they'd be sure to figure out about our involvement with Esthar." He said delving into his past.

He glanced at Laguna fiddling around with the controls.

"But Ellone really wanted to see rolling hills, sandy beaches and the open sea. Laguna can be weird and immature at times, but he's always given us what our hearts have desired. So he heard about a place called Balamb and that's when we moved." He explained taking a break. He looked over at Rinoa with a smirk, "We moved right next door to Seifer."

"Really?" She asked for confirmation smiling at the wonders of what the two were like as children.

"Yeah," he said nodding, "he was such a trouble-maker. But his mum was really nice and used to take care of us when Laguna would head to Esthar. I always remember her and my Mum coming together to pick us up from school, eating dinner at her house some nights, Seifer and her coming over other nights, playing and fighting with Zell and Seifer – with Quistis and Ellone acting as mediators."

"Seems like such a busy and hectic lifestyle for him, wouldn't it have been simpler for you to just remain in Esthar?" She asked.

"Yeah, it would have for Laguna, but he was willing to go the extra mile to make us happy. I think he was always trying to find a way to make up for not always being there. My Mum didn't always get to see him." He explained looking over at his father. "I know I don't always say the right things to him, or act like I'm embarrassed of him, but deep down, I have a lot of respect for him."

Rinoa smiled at Squall placing her hand on top of his, she hoped they'd have more moments like this once the problems were sorted.

"It was easy for us living like that, everyone in Balamb knew of Laguna Loire the traveller's guide writer for Timber Maniacs. Of course, there were those from Esthar that knew who we were, but they kept quiet." He clued her in.

"Like who?" She asked getting more curious as Squall divulged deeper into his life.

Squall let out a chuckle looking at his lap. "Why do you think Professor Odine is so lax about me handing in work on time?"

Rinoa's eyes widened with surprise. "Professor Odine's Estharian?" She asked for confirmation.

"Yeah." He confirmed still smiling.

"Does everyone is Esthar talk like that?" She asked ignorantly. It wasn't her fault, having a country shut it's doors for 13 years didn't exactly leave her with meeting that many Estharians.

"What?" Squall asked confused. "No, Professor Odine is from the east of Esthar, I'm from the central so we don't have an accent like he does." He explained.

She nodded laughing to herself. She felt happy Squall was sharing all this information with her, it showed her just how much trust he had in her to involve her in his life.

She leaned her head into his shoulders and closed her eyes making every minute last.

* * *

Skippy sat in a square room with white painted walls. In front of him was a long rectangle steel table with three seats to each side. Four guards stood to each corner of the room watching him sitting in silence with his hands clasped together in front of him.

He was wearing a light blue t-shirt and matching cotton pants. It was the only set of clothes given to him when they caught him at the Great Salt Lake trying to find a way in. It had appeared he was given a fake visa which he wasn't too happy about.

_Got played like board game._ He thought miserably to himself. Exactly what did he think? That the woman he placed his trust in, would have all that power to find him a way into a city that's intelligence system could track him all the way from the moment he left Shumi, to where he was now? She had lied to him and he grimaced at his naivety of actually believing her.

The door opened and three people walked into the room. He didn't need to look up to know who they were; he was expecting them to show the minute he was caught.

It was when they sat opposite him did he look up at her, her frowned worried eyes searching his face for answers.

Laguna took out an audio recoding device and pressed down on the record button.

"Interview with Mr Jared Sutherland otherwise known as 'Skippy', interviewer: President Laguna Loire of Esthar, witnesses: Miss Rinoa Caraway Heartilly and Mr Squall Leonhart." He spoke clearly and then looked up to Skippy with a moderate smile.

"Mr Jared Sutherland, I'm President Loire." Laguna introduced himself putting his hand forward for the man to shake.

Skippy hesitatingly shook it feeling his guilt increase the more he looked over at Rinoa.

"I have some questions; I'd appreciate it if you could answer them." Laguna continued taking out his red file from his side bag and placing it in front of him.

"You don't have to ask me anything; I put the Cannabis in her bag." Skippy confessed nodding over to Rinoa's direction.

"May I know why?" Laguna asked looking at the man closely.

"Ultimecia paid me to do it. She promised me money and a visa to Esthar in exchange for a couple of errands I had to run involving er, Miss Caraway." Skippy explained briefly.

"And what did these errands involve?"

"The first was to get a couple of pictures of her in bad situations, but the Miss here is as clean as whistle. So I was told to improvise and see if I could find anything remotely suggestive." He further explained.

"Suggestive?"

"Yeah, as in promiscuous." He said and averted his eyes away from Squall's death glare. "But it didn't cause much of a stir in Deling, so before the papers went to print, I was sent over to Shumi on hearing Balamb High School was visiting."

"How did you get the information?" Laguna asked curious.

"Sculpty, he's an old friend of mine, he fell ill and gave me a call and mentioned it, so I showed up and covered. No one knew I was back; don't think they'd welcome me with open arms." He said with his head down in shame.

"What else does Mecia have planned?" Laguna asked moving on to the topic of the Centri woman.

"She wants power, she wants to dominate Galbadia and connect ties with Centra. She has plans to make the next Esthar."

"How?" Laguna asked with worry. He had no clue that the crazy woman had such big dreams.

"That I don't know." Skippy said. Laguna looked like he was going to argue, "Seriously, I'd tell you if I knew, but even that she kept away from me."

"We have reports that she's planning more attacks in Deling, do you have any information on that?" Laguna tried seeing if any other information could be drawn out from the man.

"The GDL have planned two attacks in Deling City, and another two in Timber and Dollet." Skippy replied. "The next attack will be next week Tuesday."

"Where?" Laguna asked eagerly.

"Deling City, the South East Bank and Timber, where the hotel is." For another hour they kept talking getting information out of Skippy, some useful, others not so much.

"Well, we thank you for your cooperation, it will certainly lighten your situation." Laguna told the man who only solemnly nodded.

"I do regret what I did. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused." He replied back. "What you said really made me think," he said looking at Squall, "you young ones can change our mistakes."

Rinoa looked at the man in front of her and realised he was just some lost soul looking to complete an aspiration he could never accomplish. He was just a tool that Mecia used and abused. It was sad the way people were targeted, were told lies and empty promises and then discarded after their use. Skippy was a clear example of that, he had done his part and was paying for the consequences.

She couldn't help think, as mean as it was, it was quite ironic how his situation had turned out. He wanted a way in to Esthar, he sure got it.

* * *

Once the interviewed ended Laguna led the two out of the door and they made their way to the Presidential Palace.

Once outside, she took in Esthar for all its beauty. Nightfall had long passed and day break could be seen in the horizon. Tall glass and metal buildings stood high above the ground. Little greenery could be seen, and the ones that could, were small birch trees. The streets she walked on had very little dirt, spacious and clean as she walked along the white marble slabs onto a steel blue walkway.

"Rinoa." Squall called out to the girl who turned to see him sitting on a round levitating seat. Laguna gestured for her to sit and she obeyed. She strapped a belt around her waist copying Squall's instructions.

Once the older man had taken his seat he pressed a green button on the centre of the seat and soon Rinoa felt herself lift another inch or so. A vibration could be felt and the sound of mechanics moving underneath her as the seat followed the rail tracks and zoomed into a dimly lit tunnel.

She felt the air rush past her face as the circular seat sped down the long tube, dipping at one point following the downhill angle of the tracks. She couldn't see much except the yellow stud lights flashing by as she whizzed past. She felt the movement slow down and then gently ease her out of the tunnel, as she was again met with dawn light once they reached the end of the tunnel.

Once the seat had stopped, she unbuckled herself and stepped off. She smiled at Squall who smirked at her; he knew she wanted to do that again.

Laguna led them into another tall building. It was a large white stone building with many glass windows and metal spirals encircling around the top part. The double doors automatically opened and Rinoa stepped into a red carpeted foyer with black chairs scattered around. A woman sat at the reception desk and greeted Laguna as he walked in.

They took the elevator to the top floor and stepped out onto another red carpeted floor with glass ceiling and walls. From what she could tell it was a hallway.

"Shall I show Rinoa to her room?" Laguna asked Squall who shook his head.

"Ok, well rest up, it's only just gone past 10pm in Galbadia, so you guys can sleep here and we'll head back during Estharian lunch time. That way you'll be back in time for school." Laguna teased before walking off to the right and disappearing behind two silver double doors.

Squall took Rinoa by the hand and led her down the opposite hallway walking up to another set of double doors and past another corridor. Once he reached a second set of doors, he took out a silver card and swiped it across a black device attached to the wall.

Rinoa entered into another large corridor and stopped next to Squall.

He took out a silver key and handed it to her. "You're in room 3, that one." He pointed her to a silver door with blue rims. "Any time you want to enter that room you need to use this card key, don't lose it or leave it in your room, otherwise you won't be able to get back in." He said to her and took out his own card.

"Which room are you in?" She asked mischievously.

He smiled at her and looked away blushing. "That one." He said nodding to the door opposite hers. "See you in a couple of hours." He said and walked up to his door, swiped his card and disappeared behind the sliding doors.

Rinoa huffed and followed Squall, swiping her card and expecting his door to open up. A sound was made as her card was declined entry. She tried again and the door opened only for her to be faced with Squall looking at her expectantly.

"Your card won't work." He said to her holding up his own.

"I'm not tired." She said as if it were the answer to a question he was indirectly asking.

He sighed and looked at her pleading eyes. "Come on then." He said and moved aside to let her in.

She squealed jumping up in joy and bounced her way into his room.

She stopped as she looked around his room in amazement. It didn't look like a room, more like a studio apartment. In front of her were three medium sized black leather sofas in a U shape around a glass oval coffee table. At the end of the sofas against the wall was a 40 inch flat screen TV and other consoles and systems. To one end of the room was another round glass breakfast table in front of a wide half book shelf. Plants also decorated the white and silver coloured room. Above the TV were three large glass windows allowing the now bright sunlight to seep in. To the other end of the room was a kitchenette with grey granite worktop and brown oak cupboards, complete with a stainless steel sink basin and cooker.

Rinoa walked further into the room and looked around. She noticed near the end of the room were spiral stairs leading somewhere up.

"What's up there?" She asked curious.

"Bathroom and bedroom." He said putting his key card down on the glass table and removing his leather jacket.

"Can I see your room?" She asked taking small steps towards the spiral stairs.

Squall sighed again and smirked nodding for her to go on ahead. He followed her bouncing body up the stairs and into a small passageway pointing her to the door on the left. She opened the door and walked in.

It was designed exactly how his room was back in Balamb. The walls were maroon red, the bed and furniture were of the same make and he even had the same bed covers and posters.

She looked at him in surprise expecting his room to be a bit more futuristic as the rest of Esthar was.

"To remind me of Balamb when I'm here." He said in answer to her facial expression.

He walked over to his bed and sat down bending and removing his shoes and socks. He took off his over shirt, leaving his white vest on, and putting the discarded clothes neatly to one side. Laying on his bed, he looked up to Rinoa standing around trying to find something different about his room to the one in Balamb.

He closed his eyes feeling slightly drowsy; he hadn't slept properly all week and he desired a couple of hours of shut eye.

He felt the bed dip slightly on the left side, only to open his eyes to find Rinoa crawling onto his king size bed and lying down next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"You should go to your room." He said to her softly.

"Can't I stay here with you?" She asked and he could hear the sadness in her voice.

"You really shouldn't." He answered back sighing.

With problems on the rise, he didn't want Esthar to find another reason to hate Rinoa, there was already too much ammunition towards her, they didn't need to cause any more.

"I don't want to be alone, Squall." She tried to argue.

He turned to his side and faced her looking into her big brown orbs and reading her plea. He closed his eyes briefly sighing again. He wanted her next to him, but he also didn't want their emotions to get the better of them.

"Only for a bit." He finally said.

She snuggled up closer to him, tightening her grip as if he were to disappear any moment. She felt him stiffen and looked at him with concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked looking into his half closed eye lids.

"You're a bit close." He honestly replied.

She smiled at him playfully and moved closer to him leaving absolutely no space between them. "You don't like this, Squall?" She asked looking up to his face only centimetres away.

"Just not used it." He whispered back.

She moved her head down and rested it against his chest. "I always held my mum like this."

"…I'm not your mum." He couldn't help but comment.

She moved back and teasingly flicked his nose which he chose to ignore. "Meanie." She giggled and loosed her grip on him.

Taking the arm she had placed over him he placed it on her side of the bed. He positioned himself in a comfortable arrangement placing his palm underneath his cheek and closing his eyes ready to fall asleep.

Rinoa waited for Squall to open his eyes again. She watched his nose flare up as his took in air from his nose and then released it slowly. He didn't open his eyes again so she huffed and lay on her back looking up at his cream coloured ceiling.

Holding onto the chain around her neck she pressed her lips together thinking about her situation. She was charged with drug possession, residing in a foreign country, couldn't go back to her own country for fear of backlash and to top it all off, she had a science field trip in Centra the following week. How many problems could a teenager face?

Squall peeked a look at Rinoa. She was laying on her back in deep contemplation. He wondered which of her problems she was thinking about.

He felt sorry for her, more so because he himself couldn't do anything. Even the problem with Skippy was only solved with the help of Laguna. Squall felt restless, he was just a teenager, a kid who stood by and watched the girl he loved fall into problem after problem.

Rinoa turned her back to Squall putting her own hand under her cheek and closing her eyes. She couldn't do anything about the problem in Deling City. She was just a kid.

* * *

"Squall. Squall… Squall, wake up." Came Laguna's voice of authority.

The brunette opened his eyes and looked to the foot of his bed to find Laguna with his arms placed on his hips staring down at him disapprovingly.

Squall looked to the figure lying next to him and figured she was the reason for Laguna's look of disappointment. Although both were fully clothed, it was Rinoa's leg draped over Squall's and their arms hugging each other that was scoring them Laguna's displeasure.

"Wake Rinoa up and get dressed." The older man commanded and walked out of the room.

Squall woke Rinoa vigorously and told her to put on her shoes and socks.

Once dressed they both went down to meet with Laguna. He didn't say anything to them, only commanded them to follow him.

Taking them back to the cockpit they boarded the Ragnarok and prepared for flight. Rinoa looked out now seeing Esthar in daylight. It was even more vibrant than when she landed. The sun gleamed down onto the glass and metal buildings illuminating the look of it all. People were now bustling about their business, heading to work, heading to school and going about their daily routine. It was a lot calmer than Galbadia, although the technology and population seemed three times greater.

Laguna put the controller to autopilot and turned to face the two teens. His back leaning against the control panel he folded his arms across his chest.

"You both need to be careful." He started.

Rinoa looked at the man in confusion. Squall on the other hand knew what he was going on about.

"We didn't do anything, we were just sleeping." He replied.

Rinoa looked at both of them and caught on. She immediately blushed as the image of Laguna walking in on both of them sleeping came to her mind. She hadn't meant to be so clingy, but after she heard Squall's soft snores she couldn't help wrap her arms around him again. She didn't expect for him to pull her in and snuggle up to her. She should have mentioned she was clingy, she wondered what other body parts had made their way over to Squall's side of the bed.

"I know. But if anyone caught you both-"

"How? No one can get into my quarters." Squall tried arguing.

"I meant, if someone saw her coming out of your room." Laguna corrected his son. "Neither of you realise that although Esthar is a lot calmer than Galbadia, they still don't want anything to do with Galbadia. That includes theCaraways_._" He said looking over to Rinoa.

"I'm sorry Mr Loire, it won't happen again." She said apologetic.

"Esthar will have to get used to it." Squall snapped.

"Squall-" Laguna tried speaking but was cut-off again.

"If they want me take over after you, if they want me to run their country then they'll have to accept who I choose to be in a relationship with." He said heatedly.

"I understand your point." Laguna said holding out his hands. "But you need to deal with the situation using wisdom. Don't start giving them a bad impression of Rinoa, or your relationship with her. You both need to be patient; there were people in Esthar who didn't like seeing you with her."

"So what? I'm not suppose to live my life to make them happy?" He asked rhetorically.

"No one is saying that. I'm saying be smart. Show people you're both serious about each other. With pictures of Rinoa with a different guy circulating and the current drug charges, no one in Esthar will be happy with your relationship."

"I don't care." Squall replied, though Rinoa could hear in his voice he did.

"Squall." Laguna said softly walking up to him. "Let us clear her name, then you can be open about your relationship. But for now, my advice to you both is to keep it a very low profile." He said looking over to Rinoa.

She nodded understanding where the older man was coming from. It did make sense after all. How could she expect Esthar to open their arms out wide to her when her own country was being deluded by the lies spread about her? She had to clear her name, of both the drug possession and the promiscuity.

"He's right, Squall." She said walking up to him and placing her hand on his shoulder squeezing it.

* * *

"Phone call." The guard said opening up Skippy's cell door and ushering him out. The man got up from his bed and walked out of his cell following the guard to the phone booths.

He picked up the black headset and placed it to his ear. "Hello." He spoke unknowing to who'd be calling him.

"Having a nice time in Esthar?" Ultimecia cackled through the phone.

"What do you want?" He replied harshly sickened by hearing her voice.

"I just wanted to thank you in person. I assume the President has seen you." She toyed with him.

"Yes, and I told him all about your little plans." He challenged her.

"Skippy, Skippy, Skippy." She muttered conceitedly. "You really think after they kaught you I'd karry on with the same plans?"

He frowned at her question.

"Remember Skippy, you are not my only toy, you are not the only rogue Shumi I can get to handle my affairs." She said playfully.

"What are you going to do?" He demanded raising his voice and receiving a questioning look from the guard across the room.

"Oh, you'll see." She laughed mockingly.

"I swear Mecia, you do anything to those kids-"

"You'll what? Send me a postkard from prison?" She laughed mercilessly.

Skippy's chin quivered from agitation. He didn't know what she was planning, but from past experiences he knew it'd be something big.

"Enjoy your holiday." She said sarcastically and hung up.

Skippy held the phone to his ear a bit longer unable to move. He couldn't do anything, nothing to help prevent whatever it was she was planning. _God help those kids. _He thought to himself, it was the only thing he could do.

* * *

Laguna sat in his office sifting through the masses of paper work faxed to him from his secretary. There was a lot to be done for the Peace Treaty and things were getting underway since the riots in Deling City had taken place. Caraway and Laguna hadn't rescheduled a date for the next council meeting that would decide the date of Esthar's open day. It was definitely something Laguna had to hasten to.

The phone beside him went off and he reached over the piled up papers clutching the cordless in his hand and put his ear to it.

"Laguna Loire." He spoke to the caller.

"President Loire I have a call coming in from EC Prison." His secretary informed him.

"Could you take a message please, Delila." He asked her kindly.

"I tried but the person said its detrimental he speak to you himself."

"Ok, put them through." He sighed and leaned back onto his leather recliner.

A beep was heard and then a ring as the connections were made. "Hello." Skippy's voice spoke through the other end.

"Mr Sutherland?" Laguna asked surprised.

"President Loire, I'm sorry to bother you, but see, I got a phone call from Mecia. She knows what I told you and she's changed her plans." He said hurriedly into the receiver.

"I expected that." Laguna said tiredly.

"President, you don't understand. Those kids are in danger. She's planning something else, she knows other people." He said eagerly.

"Like who?" Laguna asked not being intimidated by this Ultimecia character, she was hardly a challenge when he saw her during the Press Conference.

"I don't know, but trust me, from my experiences working with her, she will know some tough nuts." He warned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry; those kids are safe. Besides, she can't bring any harm to them if she can't find them can she?" He said cleverly.

"Be careful Mr President, she knows dangerous people." Even though Laguna wasn't intimidated by Ultimecia, something in Skippy's voice made him anxious and apprehensive. Exactly what could Ultimecia have planned?

Putting the phone down on Skippy he called General Caraway to seek the man's advice. They couldn't take any chances when it came to Rinoa, she was already in enough trouble.

* * *

Ellone was sitting on her bed talking to Rinoa and Squall, the former sitting opposite the brown haired girl and the latter swaying to and fro on the computer swivel chair.

"So basically, he finds out who she really is and he's all like 'Oh my Gwad!" and runs out of her house to go home and check if its true. And the whole time she doesn't know who he is and keeps in contact with the other alias…" Ellone was saying.

Laguna walked into the room and stopped abruptly looking around for Squall spotting him on the chair.

"When is your trip to Centra Ruins?" He asked the brunette.

"Next week." Squall answered looking at his father with concern. He could tell the man was agitated.

"Until then, I want you both to be escorted to school and back. No loitering in the streets, in the Mall or at friends' house." Laguna said walking around the room.

"Why?" Squall asked frowning.

"I got a call from Skippy, Mecia's changed her plans." He mumbled looking out of the window.

"To what?" Rinoa asked getting off the bed and standing with her arms crossed over.

"We don't know." Laguna shook his head looking over at her. "All we know is, we need to catch that crazy woman fast."

Rinoa bit her bottom lip, she was scared. She couldn't believe she was a target for this woman's way to power.

"How can hurting me get her power, I don't understand." She forced down her the lump in her throat.

"It's crazy, but these threats alone can get her arrested, now with Skippy as a witness the drug allegation will also be put on her." Laguna said walking over to her. "Hey, don't worry, we'll sort this mess out." He smiled at her sympathetically.

She nodded a modest smile on her lips. But it wasn't enough, she couldn't understand the reason behind Ultimecia's plot. How could the woman possibly think by hurting Rinoa, it would get her power. _U__nless she's intending to use me as ransom?_

* * *

**Next chapter will take a fast forward for a week by the way. I'm not completely sure but i'm thinking this story will only be a couple more chapters and then i'm done.**

**But thats whether or not i get the chapters written... yeah stuff is kinda going in my life right now so i dont know if i will get this story finished.**  
***runs away very very fast from reviewers with pitchforks***


	18. Deep Sea Research

**Alright, I'm really sorry i havent updated this in a while, but i really didnt know if i was going to make any changes with the other chapters that would affect this one.**

**And it did :p I have chapters 19 and 20 done too, so yeah depending on how fast i write and how many reviews i get, i'll soon have the others posted too.**

**Thanks for all the reviews i've been getting, its really motivating and i love reading them! :) You guys are awesome!**

**Btw - isnt my avatar just so cool? I made it myself ^.^**

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**Chapter 18 - Deep Sea Research**

All week Rinoa and Squall were escorted to school by Ward Zabac and Kiros Segul. Everyday it was the same routine: getting into Ward's Chevrolet and driving to school, having both men wait outside their classrooms while they were studying, they even accompanied both teenagers to lunch and toilet breaks. Once school was over, it was the drive back to the Loire's home and straight into their rooms.

It was like living in a prison; always being watched, always being monitored, always being protected. Though the protection against what or whom was still unknown.

Now Rinoa was in the guest room of the Loire's house packing her belongs again for the fourth time that month. It was such a mundane task she couldn't be bothered to properly perform and soon started stuffing clothes and necessities without a care.

Someone knocked on her door and she called them to come in. Squall entered her room with a can of drink and snacks.

"Thought you could use a snack while you pack." He said offering her the drink.

"Thanks." She replied and placed the chilled drink on her dresser. "This is so annoying; I've never packed so many time in my life! I might as well just live out of my suitcase!" She complained and slumped to the floor pulling her legs up and hugging her knees.

Squall just smiled and remained silent. He could tell what she probably really wanted was to be in her own room back in Deling City, living the peaceful life she had before she moved to Balamb. Neither could even predict that her life would have been thrown into such turmoil in the current weeks.

"Laguna got a call from the Shumi Mayor." He said getting an interested glance from Rinoa. "Skippy is being deported back to Shumi."

"Well, that's something." She said relieved. "But it still doesn't get rid of my other problems."

"Don't worry, with time things will settle." He replied looking around the guest room. It was nicely decorated with cream coloured walls and lilac boarders complete with a set of furniture. Two chests of draws, a writing desk and a bed side table were positioned around the room. The same cream colour and lilac rimmed panelling matching with the overall colour of the room. His mother had designed the layout and colour of the room, after her death Laguna saw no reason to change anything within the house leaving Raine's last touches lingering with them.

"How do you know? All I can see is things are getting worse by the day." She sulked, getting up and opening the cookie packet, offering one to Squall before taking one herself.

"Just have some patience and hope." Squall replied not knowing how to answer her question. It was true, everything was just a series of problems one after the other. Although one was solved, another would soon start. During the week the Mayor had officially released all drug charges on Rinoa, citing an intentional defamation of the girl by Skippy and Ultimecia. But that still hadn't solved the problems in Galbadia, and things weren't changing. What guarantee did Squall have that things would settle?

"Squall!" Laguna's voice shouted from the stair way.

Squall turned and opened Rinoa's bedroom door following his father's command. Rinoa followed pursuit following the brunette into the living room and looking at Laguna who was smiling into the phone.

"Ok… no, no she's always welcome here… yeah I'll still have Kiros and Ward escort them to Centra… no can't take any chances… well she's here now, do you want to talk to her?… Ok, you too, Bye." Laguna said and hung up the cordless phone.

"Good news." He grinned at the two folding his arms as Ellone came into the room with Laguna's tea. "Mecia has been caught."

Rinoa put a hand to her mouth in disbelief. "Really?" She muffled through her hand. "But what about the rest…"

"Don't worry about the rest. They found her in Odin's Tower, it seems that was one of their hideouts. Anyways, she and her minions have been arrested, so I'd say you're pretty safe now." Laguna smiled comfortingly at her.

"Pretty safe?" She repeated uncertain.

"Well, we don't want to take any chances. We don't know if she knows of other people who will still carry out her plans." Laguna continued and sipped his tea. "Besides, although she has been caught and the charges have been put on her, we will have to wait and see what reaction we get from Galbadia."

"So for now?" Squall asked.

"Now Rinoa will continue to stay with us, we'll look after her," he smiled at her, "Kiros and Ward will escort you both to Centra and I know some people who can keep an eye on you while you're there."

"I really don't want to be gallivanting the world when there could be people still after me." The raven haired honestly confessed.

"It's ok Rinoa, if you'd rather stay here we can speak to your professor." Laguna comforted the girl. He could see she was still scared and apprehensive. It was a lot for her to take in, for such a futile attempt to gain power, somehow it had thrust her into the line of fire and was ultimately jeopardising her life. It was surreal. It was crazy the lengths people would go to change their circumstances, initially hurting innocent civilians along the way.

"If she's not going I'm not going." Squall spoke up. "I want to stay here and make sure she's ok."

Laguna hesitated looking from his son to Rinoa. "I don't know. I don't think Professor Odine will be happy about that."

"I don't care, I'm not leaving her by herself." Squall replied adamant to stay behind.

"Squall, Odine is putting a lot of effort for you to get into ECU, Rinoa will be fine here." Laguna tried assuring him, but the stoic young man wouldn't hear of it.

"I don't want to be anywhere where I can't see her."

"Squall," Rinoa spoke up walking over to him forcing him to look at her, "I'll be fine. You shouldn't worry and put your plans on hold. Trust me, I'll be better if I am here with Laguna, Kiros and Ward."

"No." Squall muttered folding his arms. No one understood him, they couldn't comprehend the need he had to make sure she was alright. He couldn't possibly go off to Centra for a week without her. If anything happened, how would he help her? How would he justify to himself that he had done all he could, when he was off in some barren land miles away from her. He had left her once before, he wasn't ready to do it again.

"Ok." She breathed and looked at Laguna. "Send Kiros and Ward with us."

"Wait. You said you didn't want to go." Squall argued.

"Yeah well that was before, I don't want to cause any problems so I'll come with you." She shrugged.

"No, we can stay here it'll be fine." Squall continued arguing.

"Squall!" She cried out in frustration and put her hand to her forehead. "Sorry. Look I don't want anyone to start changing their plans for me. The sooner this is all wrapped up, the sooner I can get on with my life." She complained.

Squall walked up to her and took her into a hug. He had been so consumed in keeping her safe he hadn't stopped to think how it was affecting her.

"Rinoa, I know some people in Centra, they can look after you." Laguna reassured her, to which she subtly smiled in appreciation.

"Guys, it's already on Galbadian news." Ellone cried turning up the TV volume.

"_Welcome to the 10 o'clock News, reports just in Ultimecia of the Galbadian Defence League has been charged and arrested. The Centri woman was located in Odin's Tower, a desolate barren town very few reside in. The location was used as a hideout for the Centri to plan her attacks on Galbadia and the Caraway family…"_

* * *

Rinoa sat looking out of the window as the plane flew high above the Galbadian Ocean. It was morning and the bright fluffy clouds could be seen hovering under the aircraft as the school made their way to Centra.

Squall sat next to Rinoa, engrossed in reading a book while ever now and then sipping on the apple juice given to him by the air stewardess.

Ward sat next to Squall watching a program on the 6 inch screen in front of him every so often looking back and whispering to Kiros who sitting behind him.

"Rinoa, you want some?" Quistis asked the girl in front of her, offering a bag of chocolate covered raisins.

"Nah I'm ok." Rinoa called back still staring out of the window.

They had been flying for three hours and were soon to land at the Deep Sea Research centre, an organisation situated in Centra Ruins, that worked in conjunction to schools and universities offering a independent study scheme to students who wished to pursue extra scientific education. The initiative soon developed and many universities now made it mandatory to have either a Certificate in Deep Sea Research, Tower Communications and Advanced Laboratory Sciences, the latter only applicable to Estharians. ECU happened to be one of the universities that required two certificates in either field, hence the pressure on Squall by his Professors.

"Hey," Rinoa turned to get Squall attention, "are you definitely going to ECU?" She asked hoping for an honest answer.

"I wanted to before, but now…" He trailed off thinking.

"Don't change your plans for me." She said determinedly.

"Why? Have you changed your mind about us?" He asked his eyes shining in worry.

She giggled at his cuteness. "No, I meant, if this is somewhere you've always wanted to go, don't give it up for me. Because you know, I could always join you?" She teased.

"You'd come to Esthar with me?" He asked smiling, yet needing more confirmation.

"Well, that is if Esthar will have me." She replied bitterly.

"They will, they'll have to." He said seriously, putting an arm around her and holding her tight.

"Ssshh." Ward indicated with his fingers and continued to watch his soap opera.

Rinoa and Squall just looked at each other and giggled.

* * *

On a different airline, on a different plane, on a different route was another man. He sat legs folded, arm poised with his chin resting on his open palm looking out of the window. One of the stewardesses approached and asked if he wanted a cold beverage to drink. He didn't bother answering, he just kept his position still and she soon left with a look of humiliation. Of course he didn't want a drink. He was a man of action, not a man of pleasure.

He was top ranked as the highest achieving scientist in the world. Many wanted him, mainly for the money and fame he could offer their companies. But he had said no. No to all except one.

Well, this offer was a little pay back. A favour carried out in thanks to where he was now. If they didn't help him all those years ago, he wouldn't be the person he was today. He owed it to them.

Of course the favour was somewhat peculiar given his field, but nonetheless he had to do it.

_Rinoa Heartilly. _He looked at the picture he was given. They found it strange he didn't know of her until today. Well, his work kept him busy, he wasn't one to read magazines and dwell on celebrities.

He leaned back on his seat, he'd be there soon, he'd be watching her soon.

* * *

The keen science students assembled in a line on the open bridge just outside the Research centre. Professor Hojo and Odine stood in front explaining the process that was to take place for the day. Since it had already gone past 4 in the afternoon they decided to let the students relax and get started on work the next day.

Three men dressed in dark blue uniforms with gold and black stripes walked up and greeted the professors, shaking their hands and eagerly welcoming them with smiles on their faces. They talked briefly and then turned their attention to the group of students also eagerly waiting to enter the building.

"Right, Balmab High please settle down." Professor Hojo barked to the crowd. "I'd like to introduce you to Edward Bahamut and Robert Tiamat the Centre Organisers and co-founders. They will outline the general duties you will take part in, as well as some guidance and safety issues."

Hojo made room for one of the men and stood aside. The man was taller than the other three and looked slightly older. He was tall and of slim build with sharp features and short spiky jet black hair.

"Good evening. I'm Edward Bahamut, you can all call me Mr Bahamut," he teased the school students, "my cousin, Robert, and I started this centre about fifteen years ago and we're very happy to see it prosper into such a high demand incentive for young scientists like yourselves…" The man went on to explain for another ten minutes the history behind the centre.

"…Lastly, and I do apologise, I'd like to introduce you to Mr Phillip Norg our accomplice who will talk to you about the safety procedures."

"Not to worry." The man said cheerfully. He looked the happiest out of all three men, and was a bit heavier looking too. "I'll be handing out safety precaution sheets to you all, which you can read over tonight, please do read them as they contain detrimental information for your safety. I'd also like to address the current volcanic level has risen, but its nothing to worry about and shouldn't cause any disruptions to your experience here."

The three men went around the group of students handing out the sheets of paper giving individual greetings and answering questions.

Rinoa had one question in mind and quickly got the attention of one of the men. "Excuse me." She popped her head in front of him while he was handing a sheet to another student.

"Yes Dear?" Norg asked awaiting her question.

"It says here that the centre has a facility for extinct species, will we get a look at them?" She asked hoping the answer would be yes. She had read in a magazine once that the DSR centre had over a thousand preserved extinct species which she wanted to check out.

"I'm afraid not, the section is off limits to everyone except personnel." The man replied apologetically.

"Oh alright, no worries." She replied disheartened.

"Tell ya what," the man whispered seeing her disappointment, "I'll have a word with old Tiamat and see if he'll make an except for you lot."

"Really?" She asked her eyes widening in hope.

"Course, they're all dead anyways, can hardly hurt you kids now is it?" He joked receiving Rinoa's heartfelt laughter before he walked off handing out more sheets to other students.

* * *

Putting the students in accommodation after having dinner, the three men sat in the control room monitoring the volcanic activity.

"Anyone for more coffee?" Norg asked from the coffee stand at the back.

"Nah, I'm alright mate." Bahamut replied viewing the small control screen.

"Black, two sugars." Tiamat ordered from his seat.

"Please." Norg joked looking over his shoulder.

Tiamat glanced at him with a look of irritation, "Please." He unwillingly replied back.

Norg was on his way to handing over the coffee when the door to the control room was heard being swiped and opened. The three men turned around to see another man dressed in blue uniform with black and blue stripes.

"Alex, is that you?" Norg asked cheerfully.

"Hey boys, good to see you again." The man replied walking up to them and receiving their hugs.

"I thought you were researching in Dollet?" Bahamut asked curiously wondering why the man was back after making a sudden disappearance two years ago.

"Yeah, I thought I'd come back and see how you guys were doing. You don't mind do you?" He asked playfully.

"Of course not." Tiamat muttered in monotone. "After all, if it wasn't for your help we'd never get this place up and running, right Bahamut?"

"No, I guess not. Nice having you back mate." He replied smiling. "This will be fun, the four of us again."

"Well, at least this time I'll get to know you better eh, Alex?" Norg asked the blond man.

"Of course." He said getting up from his leaning position and walking to the door. "I'll see you boys in the morning, you can introduce me to the school kids I saw in the dorms."

The three men said their goodbyes and Alexander made his way to his room.

* * *

Once he was safely locked in his room he took out Rinoa Heartilly's picture. Taking a lighter from his pocket he went over to the bathroom sink and burned her picture.

_Don't want anyone finding out my mission, do we Rinoa?_

* * *

The next morning Professor Hojo and Kefka ordered the students to get into groups of 7. Each group was given four activities they were to carry out throughout the week. Squall, Rinoa, Seifer, Quistis, Zell, Sarah and Dexter gathered into one group and started observing their itinerary.

The activity they were to carry out was of two parts. The first being the endangered species section where they had to collect information on three of the following endangered species: Malboro, Grendel and Ruby Dragon. The second activity was to measure the seismic waves of Mount Ultima and its morphology in the past 70 years.

"Let's get the species activity done first, that way we'll have more time until lunch break." Rinoa suggested which the group agreed to.

Making their way down to the third floor of the centre the group found some catalogues of endangered species. Squall and Quistis started to sift through the catalogue hoping to find any information on their chosen species.

Rinoa walked over to a glass container looking into it and noticing a preserved Fastitocalon in a predatory action. "Gross." She muttered to herself as she read the caption underneath the container citing it still had food in its gut when it was found.

"That is one mean fish." Seifer commented behind her.

"Yeah, who needs piranhas when you got this guy?" She replied back walking along with him to the book shelf at the back.

"Dexter and Sarah are using the database system to get some info on the Malboros." Seifer said handing Rinoa a book on Ruby Dragons. "We should check on the dragons."

"Alright." She complied and started reading.

Half an hour later Rinoa looked up to see two men come into the room inspecting the students and the contents of the room.

One of the men was Norg whom she had met yesterday, the other she hadn't seen before. He didn't look too friendly. Currently he was looking at Squall with a frown and completely ignoring what his colleague was saying to him. He was a man of medium height, slim with bleach blond hair and blue eyes. He wore the same blue uniform with the black and gold stripes and held a clipboard in his hand.

Norg walked over to Rinoa and introduced the man. "Alexander, these are some of the students from Balamb High." He said to the man who turned looking at Rinoa and Seifer and then glancing away rudely.

"Charmed." He said rather sarcastically.

"Nice to meet you too." Seifer couldn't help but reply back equally as cold.

"Er, Alexander funds this centre and also helps run things around here." Norg added hoping the students would realise the man was of utmost importance.

"Excuse me." Alex said walking off and inspecting a control panel at the back.

"Gosh he's rude." Rinoa whispered.

"Don't mind him; he can be like that sometimes." Norg excused the man smiling at the raven haired girl. "Oh, were you the one who asked me about the extinct species?"

"Yeah." Rinoa answered remembering her request from the day before.

"I had a word with Rob; he said you can visit but only two of you." Norg informed her getting a squeal of delight from her. "But you've got to keep quiet about it. There's a lot of species down there, they're expensive and important. Too many people go down there and you'll find things gone missing or worse… broken."

"Oh I won't tell a soul." She said holding her hands up.

"Alright, not today though. I got old Alex to show around. But you come find me when you want to go down and I'll take you." He offered kindly.

"Ok, thanks." She agreed. She couldn't wait; the extra activity would definitely look good on her university application, not to mention Squall's. She'd tell him during lunch when the other's weren't about, she didn't want everyone to start asking if they could go down and see the species for themselves. _Tiamat might just say no to the whole thing._

* * *

Lunch time and the centre's food hall was buzzing with the sound of school students and centre staff. Cutlery hitting plates, chatter and the clang of shoes stomping on the metal flooring could be heard echoing around the wide glassed hall.

Squall sat with his group eating their hot meals and assessing the next activity.

"Why do we even have to collect data on volcanoes? I swear that's more Geography." Zell complained through a mouthful of hotdog.

"Yeah but remember, Geography is a social science anyways." Dexter pointed out, writing down the plan of action for each student.

"Still, they should've have just focused on one eck… agghhh." Zell started choking on his hotdog taking one too many bites at a time.

"Zell, are you ok?" Sarah cried patting his back with force. Quistis leaned over and started patting his back harder.

"Wahr." He moaned looking into his empty drinking cup.

"You're so gay." Seifer threw the boy his drinking bottle and turned away in disgust.

Zell coughed a couple of time before wheezing and replying. "It went down the wrong pipe." He croaked.

"Yeah because you're a faggot."

"Seifer!" Quistis sternly reprimanded him still comforting Zell.

"Well look at him. Everyday it's the same old routine; shoving bloody hotdogs down his throat." The blond tried to defend his insults.

"That's his business." She responded not giving ear.

Rinoa just laughed and look over at Squall to see his reaction to Zell and Seifer's fiasco. She found the brunette staring into the distance and followed his gaze.

As soon as she made eye contact with Alexander he looked away. He was sitting with Norg, Bahamut and Tiamat, who all were deep in conversation, though he looked he wasn't paying much attention. The man kept his head down the rest of the time not looking back towards them, only glancing at his colleagues and nodding along to whatever they were saying.

Rinoa looked over to Squall and nudged him to get his attention. Squall looked over at her questioning look and shook his head smiling.

"Tell me." She replied to a silent 'nothing' from Squall.

He looked around at his friends before whispering to her. "That guy looks familiar, like I've seen him before." He said to her.

"Heh." She scoffed. "That's the same thought that came to my head when I saw Skippy." She revealed to him.

Squall looked at her worriedly before looking back at the bleach blond man.

"Don't worry, he's just some big shot scientist with an attitude problem." She muttered following his gaze.

"Hm?" Squall asked, keeping his gaze on the man trying to figure out where he saw him last.

"Mr Norg introduced Seifer and I to that guy and he basically looked at us like we were flattened insects underneath his shoe." She replied still a bit sour from her encounter with the man. She couldn't help feel it had partly to do with the stuff about her on the news. Since the rumours and problems in Galbadia had come out, a lot of people were eyeing her differently. She could only be thankful that school life was at least the same. People still thought of her as Rinoa, and not listened to the ridiculous lies they made up about her.

"What are you guys staring at?" Seifer asked trying to follow their gaze from where he was sitting.

"That guy, I feel like I've seen him before." Squall told him nodding over to the four men sitting at the far table.

"Oh that moron." Seifer commented after realising who they were looking at. "Guy has a stick up his ass."

"Keep on eye on him." Squall said suddenly, sparking concern between the other two. Rinoa couldn't help her heart beating faster. She hoped this guy wouldn't turn out like Skippy and plant something even more dangerous in her bag. Seifer looked over at the guy inspecting him carefully. He didn't look like he could do a lot of harm; he was shorter and slimmer than Seifer. One punch and Seifer could have the guy rolling around on the floor. But after what happened back in Shumi Village a fortnight ago he didn't want to take his chances.

"Don't worry, ill keep more than just an eye on him." Seifer said determined.

* * *

The three men sat in the control room again sipping on hot coffee and nibbling on coconut cake. One of the chefs in the kitchen had made it specially for Alexander's return, though the man was not enjoying it with them.

"It's nice having Alexander around again." Norg was saying looking into the night landscape in front of him. Mount Ultima had calmed down since their last monitor.

"Hm." Tiamat agreed not at all bothered. He was looking at the small screens in front of him viewing the security cameras around the centre perimeter. Normally they had staff carry out these duties, but during twilight to midnight the three men liked to gather and use the high tower to get some solitude.

"Yeah, Alex is a nice guy." Bahamut agreed sipping his coffee.

* * *

Alexander sat in his room after finally unpacking all his clothes. It wasn't much, just two hand luggage's worth of pants and shirts along with three uniforms. Some basic necessities he needed like his toothbrush and shaving kit. He was hygienic man, and most of these necessities he missed during his research time. It wasn't like it was possible for him to take a trip to the local shop when he needed a bar of soap or some mouthwash. During his research time he always had to make do with whatever he had packed, using some items sparingly making it last longer than it was intended.

He lay down against his bed thinking back to Rinoa Heartilly. Norg had actually introduced them to each other, he wasn't actually expecting the man to go up to them with him in tow. They were right about her. She was always bubbly, polite and timid once intimidated. Her big doe like eyes were staring up to him when he gave her the cold shoulder.

He didn't mean it, it was strictly business that he had to act that way. Another setting, another time maybe he would have shown her some manners and taken an interest into her studies. But he had to carry out this mission, he owed it to them after where they got him.

The funny thing about the situation was that Squall was also looking at him. He ignored Squall's stares, they weren't a threat. But if the boy was smart he'd catch on fast. He hoped the boy wouldn't spoil his mission; it would cause a problem and he didn't want any interference. But if Squall did put two and two together, he would need to sort it out.

He picked up the velvet black box sitting on his bed and put it on his lap. Opening it up he took out the black gun feeling its heaviness and observing it from different angles. He took the box of bullets and started putting each one into the gun canister before placing it back into the rear of the gun and snapped it shut. He put the safety lock on and held it in his hand poising it towards the mirror in front of him.

_Click._

It worked well, if need be, he'd use it.

**

* * *

**

So in case you didnt realise, the uniforms Bahamut, Tiamat and Norg were wearing is the colour scheme for Bahamut and Tiamat, the GFs. So did you like it? How suitable were the first names?

I know some of you are wondering why in the world i made them human, well 1) its an AU, 2) because you find Bahamut in the DSR centre and 3) i ran out of characters :(

Read and Review please.


	19. Extinct Species

**Thank you **_Destiny-N, n9neSTAR, effect20, Galneryus, neko-chiidesu, crespusculo4ever, and Trev James._ **You guys wait all week for an update, and i wait all week for your reviews. Seriously, every time i update one of my stories, i'm like "I wonder what effect20 will say, I wonder what Trev James will say, I wonder what crepusculo will say, I wonder if n9neSTAR HAS BOTHERED TO READ IT YET?"**

**hehe only joking about the last one, i know you're busy dude! **

**Well, everyone keeps wanting me to finish soon, minus one or two people who never want this to end (you know who you are). But alas, i think i can get this finished by chapter 22. I've written chapter up to chapter 21, and my outline kinda says i can get it done by 22. However, if I feel there is too much content and it wont finish in a nice way, i'll bump it up to 23.**

**Thanks for all the lovely compliments, a story is nothing without a reader - so make sure you review!**

**Well as promised, here is chapter 19 earlier than usual.**

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Chapter 19 - Extinct Species

The phone rang four times before someone picked up.

"Hello." The guard said from the other side of the line.

"I'd like to speak to Ultimecia." He asked in a low tone.

"Hold on." There was a pause before some unnecessary classical music was played. He hoped it wouldn't be long, the boys were waiting for him to return, if he didn't show up soon, they'd ask questions. Especially Tiamat, he had eyes like a hawk.

A minute later and the Centri woman picked up the phone.

"Yes?" She said, not bothering with formalities.

"She's here in Centra." He said to her directly.

"Centra? What's she doing there?" Mecia asked, confused.

"Never mind that, do you still want me to carry it out?" He asked, getting to the point.

"Of kourse." She said. "Make it painful, will you?" She asked, pleadingly.

"As you wish. I received the first part of the money, when am I to receive the other five million?" He asked, greedily.

"Kall me once you've done it. Once it's on the news, I'll have someone get you the money that sekond."

"I'll need time to make my escape, so I'll call once someone has found her body." He replied, not wanting to get caught in the action.

"Alright." She complied.

"Good. Enjoy your stay." He said sarcastically and hung up before she could reply.

* * *

Bahamut sat in the tower room in his usual seat next to Tiamat looking into the horizon while his cousin sat watching the monitor screens.

Norg came in with the electronic kettle filled with water and set it aside.

"Where's Alex?" He asked adding in sugar to the four cups placed on the table.

"Oh I don't know, he disappeared somewhere." Bahamut answered, as if he just realised the man wasn't in the room.

A couple of minutes later and Alexander walked into the control room and made his way over to the seat next to Tiamat.

"Where'd you disappear off to?" Norg asked the man, handing him his coffee.

"Oh, I had to use the toilet." He replied.

Norg just made a face and went over to pick up the mini muffins, offering the packet to the other men and taking one himself.

"How were the kids today, Norg?" Tiamat asked, looking at the monitor screens and sipping his coffee.

"Alright, well most of 'em. A lot of them wanted to trek up to old Ultima and take a look." He told the other man.

"Absolutely not!" Tiamat replied, looking away from the screen for the first time in two hours.

"I know, I know, I told them no." Norg replied back.

"You should have just let them, if they want danger, its best to let them have a taste to see what it's really like." Alexander commented.

"Alex, that's awful!" Bahamut laughed at the blond. "They're just kids, they get excited over anything that releases gas."

Norg and Bahamut started chuckling while the other two just rolled their eyes.

"I'm absolutely clear on this, no one is to do anything dangerous. We get a lot of money coming in for these school field trips. Anything remotely dangerous and this place will get shut down." Tiamat said emotionally. It had cost a lot of money and effort between him and his cousin to get the place running, the last thing they needed was for it to get shut down.

Alexander contemplated what Tiamat had said. He felt guilty after hearing the sadness and fear in the man's voice. It was sad that something dangerous probably would take place, and sadly it could result in the cherished centre to be shut down.

* * *

Squall knocked on Rinoa's dorm room and waited for her to open it. It was 08:30 in the morning and the two arranged to meet for breakfast. The door to the room opened and Rinoa made her way out wearing her navy blue track pants and a long sleeved grey sweater.

"Ready?" Squall asked the raven haired to which she nodded.

He held her hand entwining their fingers together, as he led her down to the centre's mess hall and queued in the breakfast line.

The group were going to meet at 09:30am to carry out some research on the chemical and ph levels in the soil at the base of Mount Ultima. It was their fourth day in Centra and everything was running smoothly, another day and they'd be flying back to Balamb for the weekend.

The queue was quite long so Rinoa started making small conversation. She stepped closer to Squall, putting her hand on the lining of his shirt and playing with the buttons.

"Squall?" She said cutely.

"Hm?" He smiled at her, holding her by the waist and making her follow him a step forward in the queue.

"I saw something in the souvenir shop yesterday." She said, smirking up at him.

"Yeah? What did you see?" He asked knowing where this was going.

"I saw a stuffed Moomba." She replied sticking out her tongue and giggled.

"And you want it?" He asked, to which she eagerly nodded, moving back and following Squall's lead in the queue. "Alright, we'll head over there after breakfast and I'll get it for you."

"Yay!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

"Rinoa, people." Squall whispered to her as he received some weird looks from the other students in the queue.

* * *

Once they got their breakfast, they sat down on a table and one by one their friends soon joined them.

"Hey, do you think they'll let us climb the volcano today?" Dexter asked, still chewing on his pancakes.

"Nah, Mr Norg said that Tiamat dude won't let us." Zell answered.

"Mr Tiamat sure doesn't let us do anything." Rinoa complained referring Norg's warnings about the extinct species section.

"I want see what's down there." Dexter explained excited.

"Magma, what else?" Seifer said as if it were a stupid question.

"Actually, it's lava, magma sits at the bottom." Quistis replied matter-of-factly.

Seifer grabbed Quistis's last remaining pancake and shoved it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Quistis cried out, but laughing nonetheless.

"That's for being such a smartass." He replied through his mouthful.

* * *

Squall and Rinoa walked into the souvenir shop browsing around for gifts to take back to Balamb for their family and friends. Rinoa spotted her stuffed Moomba and dragged Squall over to the shelf to purchase it.

While waiting in the queue she remembered to tell him about Mr Tiamat letting them check out the extinct species.

"It will be a good thing to mention in your university application." She said helpfully.

"Ok, we can get the others to take care of the Volcano part and use that time to head down to check it out." Squall complied.

"Great. I'll go find Mr Norg and see if he's free then too." She smiled at him and walked to the cashier with a grin.

Deciding to attend the Centra field trip had turned out better for her. She was a lot happier and felt safer here. Kiros and Ward had suggested they stay along with her, but she had wanted to be a bit dependant and so declined their offer, after all she had Squall by her side.

With the news of Ultimecia in prison things had settled in Deling City. The riots and attacks had been cancelled and many GDL members had also been arrested. The country didn't have a complete change of heart however. Many still opposed the Peace Treaty with Esthar, and many in Esthar were more than happy to dissolve any relations with Galbadia. As much as Laguna had tried to form another council, the people were just not content nor desired to rely on the Caraways. Neither country wanted anything to do with the other, it seemed Esthar was once again ready to bolt its doors shut.

* * *

Zell walked up to the group and handed out their clipboard. Seeing two extra free he asked Seifer where Squall and Rinoa were.

"They went to do something for Squall's university application." Seifer replied sitting with Quistis on his lap. He was sitting on a large boulder at the foot of the entrance to Mount Ultima. Quistis had perched on his lap, playing with the dog-tags across his neck and made simple conversation.

"Didn't she say it had something to do with the extinct species?" She said looking up at Seifer.

"Yeah something like that. Anyways, we're just going to have to do as much on our own and then they'll continue when they get back." Seifer informed the group who nodded and started making their way to volcano foot, listening to Mr Bahamut explain the objective of their activity.

* * *

Rinoa tapped on the door to the control room and waited for it to open up. A couple of seconds later Norg opened the door and smiled at the raven haired girl.

"Hi Sir, are you free to go to the extinct species section now?" She asked sweetly, hoping the man would be free.

"Yeah sure, hold on I'll just get my keys." He replied and walked to his desk getting his keys and flashlight.

He walked out of the room and locked the door. Turning around he spotted Squall walking up to Rinoa.

"Ah, you both want to go down?" He asked the brunette.

"Yeah." Rinoa answered quickly. "Its just us two, we didn't tell anyone else." She said in case the man changed his mind.

"Not to worry, let's get a move on." He said and ushered the two to follow him down the corridor.

They walked passed the now empty mess hall. Most of the students had assembled at the base of Mount Ultima to partake in the Volcano activity. The rest had followed Professor Odine and Tiamat to the shoreline for another activity. For this reason, the building was pretty much empty, apart from the other staff members left back.

Rinoa and Squall followed Norg down the spiral stairs, leading to the Extinct Species floor. Each level was made from water resistant metal with clear glass panelling that enabled the view of the Centri Sea, which got darker and bluer the lower they travelled.

The stairs were made out of metal and clanked as each step was made down to the cold lab.

Finally reaching the desired floor, due to the lack of light that encompassed them, Norg took out his flashlight.

"We don't get much light down here because of how deep we're buried in the Sea. Its not safe to have too much wired lighting down here." He explained to the two teens.

Rinoa nodded understanding and tried looking around the dark floor. She could make out signs posted on the wall of warnings and safety procedures. The room was the same as the other floors with seats scattered across the floor, shelves to one side and a study table. However, this floor didn't have any computer panels, instead a large tank stood in place humming and vibrating some sort of use.

They followed Norg once again to a door to the end of the room with a sign reading NO ENTRANCE - PERSONNEL ONLY. Rinoa smiled at herself, something about being able to defy the sign made her a bit proud. She smiled over at Squall hoping this activity would impress the Dean over at ECU.

Norg opened the door to the next room and held it open for the two teens to follow him in. The temperature they met with on impact was a lot colder than the rest of the building. Rinoa held onto her arms feeling the coldness surround her. She thought it was good that she decided to wear long sleeves after all.

They had only taken a couple of steps when Norg's flashlight had died.

"Bloody hell." The man whispered. "Stupid thing, I forgot to charge it."

"Oh does this mean we have to go back up?" Rinoa asked, disappointed that the trip had lasted such a short length of time.

"Yeah, we're just going to have to go back up and get another flashlight." He explained moving back to towards the door. "Er, unless you don't mind fetching them for me?" He asked Rinoa.

"Sure." She complied, it was the least she could do since the man had gone through so much effort to allow them access to the extinct species.

"Thanks love. Just follow the stairs back up, go past the main corridor and you'll find the spare flash lights in the Janitor's closet." He instructed the raven haired girl, handing her a set of keys.

"You going to be okay or you want me to come with you?" Squall asked Rinoa, not moving from his position until she made a decision.

"Oh she'll be fine, it's easy to find the closet." Norg interrupted.

Rinoa looked to the both of them before smiling at Squall. "I'll be fine." She said with conviction.

"Ok." He said as she made her way back out of the room.

* * *

Seifer and Quistis were scoping soil into their plastic bags when they spotted Alexander in the distance looking around. He seemed to be looking at the students with a frown.

"What's with him?" Seifer whispered to Quistis.

"I don't know, he does seem dodgy." She replied, reading his thoughts.

Alexander walked over to Professor Kefka and asked to see his clipboard. He scanned the board trailing his finger down until he reached a point and questioned the Professor on it.

"Squall did say to keep an eye on him." Seifer said remember to the conversation he had with Squall earlier in the week. After the Skippy incident, neither boys wanted Rinoa to fall into another situation.

Professor Kefka seemed to reply Alexander's query, to which the other man handed him back the clipboard before rushing down the mountain and walked towards Seifer and Quistis.

Zell, Sarah and Dexter noticed the man's approach and walked up to the other two teens.

"Where are your other two colleagues?" Alexander asked Quistis.

"Why should we tell you?" Seifer said stepping up to the guy. He was serious about the promise he had made to Squall, he wouldn't let this guy get anywhere close to Rinoa.

"Where are they?" Alexander barked, not being intimidated by Seifer's close presence.

"Alex, what's going on?" Bahamut asked concerned, walking up to the man he placed a hand on his arm, pulling him away from the equally aggravated blonde.

"You have two students missing, probably wondering around aimlessly inside the centre, and this cretin's refusing to tell me their whereabouts." Alexander explained, still not taking his eyes off Seifer.

"Is that true?" Bahamut asked looking from Seifer to Quistis.

"Yup." Seifer replied smug.

"It's not like that. Mr Norg's taking them down to see the Extinct Species, they have permission." Quistis answered hoping to calm the situation down.

"What?" Alexander asked surprised, shooting his eyes from Seifer to Quistis. The girl flinched.

"Mr Norg's taking them-". Before she could finish her sentence, Alexander ran past her in such speed, making his way into the building.

The group were startled for a few seconds before looking at each other quizzically. Seifer's thoughts kicked in and he too started to make his way for the Centre doors.

"Chicken-wuss let's go!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Zell ran after him cursing for the confusion and complexities, he had no idea what was going on. Neither did the other members of the group who also followed in pursuit.

* * *

Squall stood around aimlessly looking at the dark room. It wasn't that colourful seeing as the dark blue sea had cast it's shadows around making everything in the room look blue. It was slightly eerie, mainly due to the fact that it was cold, dark and vacant.

Looking back at Norg, he noticed the man walking up to another set of doors with a sign marked EXTINCT SPECIES above it. He punched a code into the small grey device beside the door and held it open.

"C'mon lad, we can wait in here till she gets back." Norg suggested, ushering Squall over.

"Shouldn't we wait here? In case she can't find us." Squall asked, taking baby steps towards the older man.

"Nah, she'll know we're in here, besides at least we got a radiator in here." He said, holding the door open. "Don't worry, I've turned the code off so she'll be able to get it."

Squall looked over his should as if Rinoa was still behind him. Slowly he followed Norg into the next room.

The room was slightly colder however, and Squall guessed it was because of what it was housing. There, in large glass cylinders across the sides of the large room, were two of each extinct species. Each cylinder was connected to some kind of smaller tubing and pipes as well as a back light allowing visual access to each animal. Small labels had been placed on each tube with the name of the animal and the gender, as well as additional information on the subject species.

The room was very large and spacious, completely built with dark ash grey metal, and steel flooring. The tubes seemed to run on forever, shelves were placed to one side of the room again holding ancient and expensive books on studies of the animals from centuries ago. A large computer panel stood to one side of the room making small pulsating beeping noises. It seemed it was sourcing power to the tubes.

The lighting in the room wasn't the best however, it seemed the deeper in to the centre they went, the deeper into the sea they drifted. Squall understood now why they needed the flashlights.

"Argh!" Norg cried out.

Squall looked around the room looking for the man. "Are you ok?" He called out, but failed to locate him.

"I think I just popped something in my back from bending over." The painful reply came back. He still couldn't see the man, he tried focusing down to the end of the room but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Ah, where are you?" Squall asked, walking further into the room.

"Over here." Norg called out, coming into view from the right hand side. It seemed that the room had an extension to the right, forming an L shape. Squall wondered just how big the entire place was; it seemed to go on forever.

"You don't mind turning on this radiator for me, do you? I think I just slipped a disk in my back." Norg hissed through pain, holding his lower back.

* * *

Rinoa finally reached the ground floor again and pulled open the door leading to the hallway. Mr Norg had been right, the Janitor's closet was right in front of her. She walked up to glossy grey painted wooden door and opened it using the key provided. Hitting the light switch on and looking around the small room, she spotted a large steel shelf to one side with an array of cleaning equipment and accessories. There on one of the shelves lay a series of flashlights of different sizes. She grabbed a couple of the big square shaped ones before walking out of the closet and closing the door behind her.

While walking towards the door leading to the stairway, she heard the harsh sound of footsteps thudding on the steel flooring. Holding the door open she paused, looking down to the end of the corridor hall, she could hear the footsteps getting closer until the figure appeared at the double doors and halted. He looked at her, amazed to see her standing there safely with the most innocent, confused and concerned look on her face.

He looked at her as she stared at him with bewilderment, and then as her eyes fell down to object he carried in his hands, she changed. Her eyes became wide, her mouth gaped slightly open and the emotions on her face changed to horror.

He held his free hand out to her in protest.

"Rinoa, wait-". She didn't let him finish, she ran into the stairway corridor making her way to the basement, following the stairway down to the lowest floor. By the time she had reached the second set of stairs, she could already hear the harsh thudding clank of Alexander's footsteps chasing after her. He called out to her, ordering her to stop, but his words fell on deaf ears; all she could hear was the thumping of her heartbeat quickening with every step he got closer.

She skipped a couple of steps, almost hurling herself down the stairs; anything to get away from the crazed man. Her action was a mistake, she dropped the flashlights onto the floor scattering them to either side of the stairs. She didn't bother to pick them up, knowing that it would only slow her down.

"God help me." She whispered to herself as she raced down the rest of the stairs and finally reached the lower level.

She paused briefly, looking around the room and making sure to enter through the correct door, there at the end of the room was the door marked with the same warning message she had read earlier on.

She could hear him making his way down the last set of stairs so hurriedly raced to the door, opening it just as the he called out to her.

"Rinoa! I'm not going to hurt you!" He shouted.

She didn't bother to listen, instead, she raced further into the room, further to the source of safety.

"Squall!" She cried out.

* * *

Squall walked over to Norg carefully, not wanting to bump into anything in case he broke it or hurt himself in the process. It was ridiculously dark at the end of the room and he tried with all his might to focus using the little light coming in from the blue ocean around him.

Once he reached Norg, he bent down feeling around for the radiator knob. He felt the cool metal protruding out of the wall, the bumps of each cylinder joining with the other, the dusty metal pipe at the base and then finally the thermostat knob.

He tried twisting it anticlockwise but it wouldn't move. He tried the other way but again it didn't budge. Wrapping his hand around his T-shirt he bent forward and held the knob with his T-shirt between it and his hand, hoping it would give him more force.

That's when he heard it. It sounded almost like a whisper in his ear, a cry from a far, an illusion of his imagination. But he had heard the sound of that voice many times and he knew it was no dream or illusion.

"Rinoa?" He questioned, turning around.

"_Squall."_ He heard her cry again only slightly louder than the last.

"Rinoa!" He cried out, getting up and making way for the other room. He knew it wasn't an illusion, he knew he had heard it. Not necessarily his name being called out, but rather, the fear in her voice.

He had only taken two steps when the room went from its dark blue to black. It started with a sharp burst of pain on the back of his head, as he fell forward towards the steel flooring and closed his eyes.

Norg looked down at Squall body lying on the floor passed out cold. He took out a clean handkerchief and wiped the end of his dagger. A little smear of blood stained the white cotton cloth as he folded it and put it back in his pocket. Placing the dagger back onto the back of his belt, he knelt down and took Squall by the legs and dragged him to the corner, near the last two cylinder tubes. Taking Squall by the waist, he pulled him into the dark gap, then stepping over him, tucked him in between the tubes by placing his arms and legs inside.

"Squall!" He heard her call again. He couldn't risk her seeing the passed out brunette, it would ruin everything. He located the plug to the last two cylinder tubes and yanked them out. The small air bubbles released from the water filter ceased and the lights turned off, resulting in pitch black darkness to fall onto the corner of the large L shaped room.

* * *

Rinoa stood in the cold room looking around for Squall, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She could have sworn this was where they had stopped before Norg's flashlight went out, it was the only room where the temperature was noticeably different from the rest.

She looked to another set of doors and guessed they must have gone on without her. She hesitated on whether she should keep going, she didn't want to get lost nor get further away from Squall. Her mind ran a series of questions and doubts within the three seconds before she heard Alexanders's close footsteps and instinct caused her to rush into the next room.

"Squall!" She yelled again running into the large dark blue room. She had to stop abruptly when she noticed where she was. The entire room was decorated with large clear cylinder tubes carrying horrifying scaled and slimy species. It was dark in the room and the only source of light at the moment were coming from the cylinders.

"Squall?" She called out again frowning. _Where are you? _

She jogged further into the room keeping to the sides where the light bounced off from the cylinders. She reached the last two cylinders at the corner of the room where little light could be seen. It was a lot darker and seemed like a dead end.

The door to the large room opened and Alexander walked in. Rinoa spotted him immediately and pushed herself in between one of the cylinders and the corner wall. It was pitch black in the corner, he wouldn't see her hiding there. She held her hand to her mouth for fear of her breathing giving her away.

She poked her head out and watched as Alexander made his way to the oppose side of the big room towards the large books shelves. His gun held out in front of him, as he slowly walked up the aisle.

Her eyes darted in front of her as she could make out a thin strip of rectangle light. She focused her eyes on the unusual yellow light against the pitch blackness and soon realised that the light was coming from beyond another door. She realised that the room was larger and more shapely than she had expected.

Glancing back at Alexander's disappearing body as he walked in between two aisles, she carefully tiptoed across to the other side of the room until she was hidden by the wall. Now safe from the man's vision she hurried toward the light and gently felt around for the door handle. Finding it, she carefully and quietly turned it and crept into the room before closing the door behind her.

"Are you alright?" She heard a voice behind her and jumped. She turned around to face Norg standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face. The room was a lot smaller than the one she was just in and a lot more brighter. Small yellow studs lights were fixed onto the metal ceiling allowing better visual than the other room had. It was hard for Rinoa to focus at first, given the strain her eyes had been doing while hiding in the other room.

"Oh, Mr Norg-have you seen Squall-I think someone's after me?" She quickly blurted out walking over to the man in plea.

"Oh he went after you a little after you left. What's this about someone after you?" Norg asked putting a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes.

"That man, Alexander, he's chasing me, Sir he has a gun!" She cried, yet at the same time keeping her voice down.

"A gun?" Norg asked in disbelief before laughing. "You're joking right?" He laughed while walking towards the door.

She grabbed for his arms pulling him back towards the back of the room. "No Sir, please I'm telling the truth, he has a gun." She pleaded, tears finally making way to her eyes. It had seeped in now, the fear she had been facing since Ultimecia's threat, the unknown fear she had of what to expect. Her life in turmoil from one selfless act; being the daughter of the General. She didn't know what Alexander had planned for her, she didn't know what to expect, that was what was bothering her; the unknown, the unexpected. The only thing she knew, was that the end wouldn't be in her favour.

"Ssshh." Norg comforted her, holding her into his arms. "Don't worry, love, I'll protect you." He said soothingly to her as she clung to his side.

"Thank-". She was cut short as her hand hit something on Norg's waist belt and knocked it over. "Sorry." She said bending down and picking up the flashlight with her trembling hand.

"It's alright." Norg replied soothingly, placing his left hand behind him and gripping the end of his dagger.

She started handing the flashlight over when she felt the click of the button underneath her thumb. The yellow light shone brightly against Norg's blue shirt and glittered against the gold stripes. He held onto the front end of it and smiled at her as he attempted to take it away from her. She lifted her creased forehead and gazed at him questioningly.

"I thought you didn't charge it?" She asked him and immediately regretted her words as realisation and horror kicked in, evident by the quick change in her facial expression.

Norg chuckled, his eyes teasingly staring at her as he saw the look on her face change. She started backing away from him towards the wall, each step carefully placed in case he made any sudden movements. He smiled and brought forward his dagger while grinning.

"Busted." He whispered.

**

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Well that's chapter 19 and I'm passed my 100k marker, thumbs up to me ^_^.

**Poor Rinoa, i really like her by the way. I know i make a lot of crap happen in her life, but trust me, you need to go through crap in order to savour the sweetness of ease.**

**Also this may be a bit early to ask, but how many of you read the beginning and didnt wonder that it would lead to all this? Cos i did, i never imagined this story to take a spiral like this.**

**Anyways sorry for the ramble, im just writing this because I'm trying to boost the word length to 6000, hehe, you really didnt think this was going anywhere, did you? :P**

**Review, review, review!**

**Oh actually, one question: If anyone of you knew from the start that Norg was the bad one out to get Rinoa, where is the proof/clue i gave? I'll give you a hint, it was in chapter 17... i think :S**

**To the one who gets it right, i'll send you a page of the next chapter :p Yup! A whole page!**


	20. Fumbling in the Dark

**Thanks for all your contest entries, however only two people got it right. Thankfully, it was one boy and one girl, so I awarded them both.  
So well done Trev James and Crepusculo4ever, keep it up.**

**Just a small update, chapter 21 is also complete, but its LONG! So I'm going to cut it down to two chapters and hopefully I will be done by chapter 23 :'(**

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Chapter 20 - Fumbling in the Dark

"Busted." He whispered to her as he walked towards her with his dagger held out in front of him.

She stepped back away from him until her back was pressed onto the wall and she could not go any further. She stared in horror as the man came closer until his face was only inches away from hers.

He put his left had against the wall blocking her from moving to her right, while bending his knee against her left thigh, trapping her from escaping the other way.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" Rinoa asked breathlessly. She eyed the dagger held tightly in his hand as he traced the tip of it across her neck.

"I don't require anything from you. It's nothing personal, just business." He teased smiling at her. "Don't struggle and it'll end quickly." He advised her.

"Please, don't do this." She pleaded, begging him with her eyes.

He laughed at her, the fear in her eyes, the quick movements of her chest heaving, the trembling of her arms vibrating against his hand. She was like a scared little fluffy white rabbit cowering in a corner. And he the stealth like smooth snake coming in for a quick kill.

Of course he had told her the truth, it was nothing personal. But she was worth ten million gil, an easy kill of an easy life. He was ecstatic when she turned up at the Centre. He had gotten a call a week earlier from Ultimecia explaining his mission. He had spent the entire week planning on what he was to tell Tiamat and Bahamut his reason for leaving. Then a week later she had turned up, like a prayer falling into his hands, making his mission all the more easier. He was done with working in the cold desolate Centre. With the money he'd make from her he'd buy a nice place somewhere and live the rest of his days in ease. He could purchase accommodation anywhere with the money he'd receive, a cottage in Winhill, a Villa in Balamb, maybe even an apartment in Esthar once they opened their doors.

All he had to do was get rid of her, it was a simple mission. End her life and get rid of the body. Of course, the brunette boy had made the situation harder tagging along with them, but he was a quick thinker. End her life and make it look like the young boy did it. With the brunette passed out cold, the cards were in his favour.

Norg pressed down harder on his dagger, applying more pressure against her delicate skin. Rinoa closed her eyes, waiting the inevitable, as her tears descended down her soft cheeks and her gut prepared for worst. She never imagined her life would end like this. She never imagined she'd be in a cold desolate room with a maniac holding a knife to her throat.

With her eyes firmly shut, she gritted her teeth as she let a sob escape from her mouth.

"Squall." She whispered. _I love you._

"This was nothing personal-" Norg tried to convince her before he was cut off.

"Hold it!" Alexander boomed, bursting into the room with his gun held out in front of him.

* * *

The entire group had followed in pursuit of Alexander. Neither any of them knowing the reason for why the man had bolted in such a rush. But now in the cold dark room in the lower floor of the Deep Sea Research Centre, they couldn't see the man anywhere.

Seifer, Quistis, Sarah, Zell and Dexter followed Bahamut over to a door with a sign marked PERSONNEL ONLY. The room they walked into was a lot colder than the other floors. It was a lot darker as well.

Following Bahamut, Seifer looked up towards another set of double doors marked EXTINCT SPECIES. _They should be in there._ He thought and prayed he was correct.

"Seifer, do you think they're OK?" Quistis asked, worried about her cousin. She hadn't a clue as to what was going on and why Alexander had run off the way he did. She hoped Rinoa was safe, though she knew her hoping wasn't coming to any use.

"I don't know, Quisty." Seifer honestly replied, getting a scared look from his girlfriend. He held her hand and kissed her forehead as they walked to the door in front of them.

Bahamut punched in a code on the small grey device next to the door. A small yellow LCD light flashed twice before going red and a rejected beep sounded.

"Huh?" Bahamut thought out loud and tried punching in the code again and again resulting in the same dejection.

"What's wrong?" Dexter asked looking at the man in confusion.

"Someone has changed the code, it won't let us in." The older man replied.

"Can't you change it back?" Quistis asked.

"No, they've overrode the system, they've used a master reset, only their code will give us access." He answered with concern on his face.

"And you don't know the master code?" Seifer asked, though he knew the answer.

"No, only one person has the master code." He replied, though this time he seemed to be talking to himself.

"Who?" Seifer asked, looking at the man worriedly.

"Alex."

* * *

Seeing the man, Norg grabbed Rinoa's arm, pulling her in front of him and holding the dagger to her throat. He wrapped his left arm around her abdomen and held her left arm in place.

"Norg, put the knife down!" Alexander ordered, not lowering his own gun.

"Get away from here Alex, this has nothing to do with you." Norg replied, keeping his cool.

"Let her go Norg, you don't need to do this. Your life is more important than however much Mecia's paying you." Alex tried to persuade the older man. He was carefully choosing his words in case the man acted on impulse.

"Whatever, with ten million gil in my pocket, I'll have a better life than this." Norg mocked, taking steps towards the door.

"What life?" Alexander asked rhetorically. "When people find out what you've done, they'll come after you. You'll be on the run forever."

"Put your gun down." Norg order. He moved toward the door dragging Rinoa's body with him with each step. "Move out of the way!" He shouted at Alexander who stood still, only pivoting his body in line with Norg's.

Now at the doorway, Norg moved backwards still dragging Rinoa with him while holding her firmly. He knew he couldn't carry out his mission now, with her throat sliced it would only be a matter or minutes before Alexander pulled the trigger. He only needed her to protect him, just until he reached the doors, then he'd escape. Yes, he was greedy for money, but he wasn't dumb. The five million was enough for him, it was already sitting in his bank account and it wasn't like Ultimecia could come after him for not completing his mission.

He pulled Rinoa down the small hallway before reaching the large dark room with the humming cylinder tubes.

"Norg, don't do this." Alexander pleaded.

Norg kept his eyes on Alexander while he continued to move back. The double doors were at the far end of the room on his right, all he'd have to do was continue holding the girl until he'd reach the door and make his escape.

Alexander's eyes flickered for a second. But it was long enough for Norg to notice. He turned his head around only to see a fist connect straight into his face, crushing the bridge of his nose and resulting in a trickle of blood. Stumbling from the pain, he loosed his grip on Rinoa, causing her to flee from him, scratching away at his clawing hands.

"Freeze!" Alexander barked at Norg.

The man ignored him and made a swing at Squall with his dagger. Squall moved his body out of the way quickly, before thrusting himself forward and tackling the man onto one of the glass cylinders. A small crack was heard before the glass shattered and the two men fell to the floor.

Rinoa backed away in shock, only realising who Norg was being tackled by. _Squall._

"Squall, move out of the way!" Alexander barked. He couldn't get a shot in with the young boy in the way. He hadn't known the boy was in the room until he emerged from behind the two dark cylinders. Norg had followed his sight and Squall had made his move, soccer punching him right in the nose. But with them now brawling on the floor, if Alexander missed his aim, he'd end up injuring the young boy.

Tackling Norg onto the floor, Squall got on top of him and gripped Norg's wrist, shaking it to release the knife. Norg used his other hand to punch Squall's jaw, connecting it right under his chin. It didn't dissuade the brunette from acting, he continued to block the punches using his right arm and continued shaking Norg's right hand until the knife flew out of his hand and skidded to a dark corner.

Seeing the knife fly out, Squall attempted to crawl away from Norg and go in search of the weapon. Norg grabbed at Squall's leg, shielding himself from Alexander's threat.

It was a series of shouts that he'd heard, Rinoa shouting out Squall's name before trying running over to him. Alexander losing focus on him and holding out his free hand to stop Rinoa.

He acted quick, within the few seconds he had opened out in his favour. Grabbing a broken piece of glass from the floor, he gripped it in his left hand and held Squall with his right.

The boy tried kicking free managing to kick at Norg's knees. Norg held onto him tightly, pushing his body further on to Squall and rolling over on top of him.

Now with Squall beneath him, he plunged his left hand deep into the brunette's abdomen.

"Argh!" Squall screamed as the glass pierced through his stomach and dipped further till it hit something soft and tore into it.

"Squall!" Rinoa screamed, running to him and gripping his shoulders.

"Rinoa move!" Alexander shouted, but again was met with ignorance.

He turned back to Norg only to find him tackling him down in the same manner and trying to pry the gun away from his hand. Norg punched him in the face, connecting with his cheek and then another hitting his cheek bone. He didn't let it deter him, he held onto his gun and used his free hand to throw a couple of punches at Norg.

They wrestled on the floor, both trying to get the advantage and keep the other down.

"Squall?" Rinoa placed her trembling hands near his wounds and looked over his body.

"Rin." He replied back, his voice shaking from the pain.

"Squall, you're going to be OK." She said supportively, although the tears streaming from her eyes said otherwise.

"I heard you call- argh." A spasm ran though his body as his lower torso heaved upwards.

"Squall, you're hurt." Rinoa couldn't help but state the obvious. She sniffed in and held him in her arms, crying at how deep the cut looked. The glass was still protruding out of his stomach and made his cut look even more horrific as crimson red blood seeped out of it.

Alexander and Norg were still at it, both wrestling each other on the floor. Alexander gripped his gun tighter, not letting the man anywhere near it and holding it away from their bodies.

With the punches and scratches getting no where, Norg lifted his knee and thrust it straight into Alexander's groin. The man let out a groan of pain and on instinct dropped his gun. Norg let go of him and made for the gun, now lying on the cold steel floor.

The kick didn't stop Alexander however, he grabbed onto the man's leg and pulled him back suffering from a couple of kicks in the face, one busting his lip open.

Norg thrust his body forward and slammed his hand onto the steel floor, hoping to bounce the gun towards him. With Alexander holding onto his left leg, he wasn't going anywhere. He kicked again, this time harder, and aimed at the man's fingers. Just when he felt the grip let loose, he thrust himself forward and grabbed the gun, turning around to face Alexander.

"Sorry Alex, but it's over." Norg said smoothly.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

* * *

Rinoa looked up just before the first gun shot. Norg had kicked Alexander in the face causing the other man's lip to bust open, spewing blood onto his clean blue shirt.

Another kick landed onto Alexander's fingers causing him to loosen his grip, and then completely let go.

The two men moved within the same second.

Alexander pushed himself up, falling back onto his bottom in a sitting position with his legs out in front of him. He grabbed at his right ankle, yanking the hem of his pants upwards and gripping the pistol strapped around his leg.

Norg thrust forward and slammed his palm onto Alexander's gun picking it up and turning it on Alexander.

"_Sorry Alex, but it's over."_

He didn't even wait for the man to finish, he didn't even wait to take his pistol out. Moving his right foot inwards, he pulled the trigger to the pistol still strapped to his leg and let a series of gunshots hit Norg. One on his chest. The other on his stomach. The last hitting just above his groin.

Norg dropped the gun and fell backwards, his head thumped onto the steel floor bouncing back up once, before his body lay completely still.

Alexander got up and walked carefully towards Norg's still body. He bent over him and picked up his gun, placing it back onto his belt strap and leaving the safety on.

Putting a finger to Norg's neck he felt for a pulse, feeling a low steady rhythm. He grabbed the man by the arms and turned him onto his back. Taking out a plastic strap he strapped Norg by his wrists and left him lying on the floor.

Rinoa brushed Squall's hair aside. His forehead was matted with sweat and his breathing was getting quicker.

"How is he?" Alexander asked kneeling down beside them.

"He's got glass in his stomach." She sobbed, still holding onto Squall.

"Squall?" Alexander called out to the young man while inspecting his wound. The glass had cut deep, hitting an internal organ. "Squall, the glass in your stomach is keeping you from losing too much blood." Alexander started explaining.

"It… hurts." Squall managed to make out in between breaths and moans.

"I know, son. Squall, it might have hit an internal organ, which means you could be internally bleeding." Alexander continued. "We're going to have to move the glass, Squall."

"But he'll start bleeding." Rinoa cried out in fear.

"The glass inside him is from the cylinder tubes, those tubes carry masses of chemical liquid to preserve those species. It could infect his wound." He clarified.

Rinoa looked back to Squall's face. His eyelids were only slightly open, his face had beads of sweat running down from his forehead. His arms that lay beside him trembled as he lay on top of her thighs.

"Squall, I'm going to remove the glass." Alexander informed him loudly.

"Its… goin… gonna… hurt." Squall replied, closing his eyes from the pain he was already feeling.

"I know son, but if I don't remove it, it will infect your wound." He explained again. "I'll do it on three, OK?"

Squall nodded slightly, closing his eyes tight, preparing for the pain that was about to come.

"Please don't hurt him." Rinoa sobbed again, looking up to Alexander in fear.

He looked at them both, they were so young, so innocent. He couldn't believe Norg had stooped so low to hurt them both. He merely nodded at her, not wanting to make broken promises.

"One…". He said and Squall gripped Rinoa's hand tighter. "Two…". Rinoa sobbed again.

"_ARRRGGHHH!"_. Squall screamed out in excruciating pain as Alexander plucked the glass out quickly, yet carefully and threw it aside.

"You didn't say three!" Rinoa cried out in disbelief.

"It's easier if he isn't prepared for it." Alexander explained and quickly started unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Squall?" Rinoa shook the brunette's head, but he was passed out cold. "He's not answering." She cried again, looking at Alexander with frowned eyes.

Alexander moved his hand to Squall's neck and felt around. "He's got a pulse, he's just unconscious. Here, keep this against his wound to stop the bleeding." He instructed her, giving her his wrapped up shirt.

Taking Squall off her lap and placing him on the floor, she pulled up Squall's white blood soaked shirt exposing the wound that was quickly spewing blood. Holding the wrapped up shirt on top of his wound, she held it down hard, hoping she wasn't hurting him too much. Alexander took his belt, picking up Squall briefly off the floor, pushing his belt underneath the boy and wrapping it around him. He tightened the belt over the shirt Rinoa had placed on him and secured the buckle.

"Come on, we need to get an ambulance." He said to her, getting up off the floor and scooping Squall's heavy body into his arms. The boy weighed a lot and with his head slumped back, Alexander found it awkward just to carry him to the double doors.

He carefully and slowly followed Rinoa towards the doors leading out of the room.

Rinoa got to the door and tried opening them by pulling on the handles. They wouldn't budge so she tried again, only for it to remain in place. "Hey, they won't open." She said turning around to Alexander.

"It's got a master code on it, I set it so Norg couldn't get out." He explained. "Punch in 41269".

Rinoa punched in the code and waited for the small beep of the grey device to sound before she pulled the doors open.

There, standing outside the doors were Seifer and the others looking at her in bewilderment. They all shot up off the couches, coming towards her as Alexander soon came into view with Squall in his arms.

"Squall." Seifer shouted, walking up to Alexander and stopping abruptly.

"Help me take him up." Alexander ordered. Seifer held Squall's legs while Zell grabbed his feet. They slowly carried him towards the spiral stairs leading up.

Quistis and Sarah rushed over to Rinoa, taking her in their arms and asking her if she was alright. The raven haired girl nodded accepting the hug before turning back to Squall's unconscious body.

"What happened?" Bahamut asked in Alexander in shock.

"I'll explain later, call an air ambulance, quick!"

* * *

Once they had reached the ground floor, Alexander and the boys placed Squall on one of the soft blue couches. Walking over to the phone box, Alexander dialled in a number and waited for it to connect. He watched the students around him all eyeing him suspiciously, some even asking Rinoa who he was and what had happened.

They watched in silence as they listened to his side of the phone conversation.

"Hello?" Alexander spoke into the receiver. "Kiros, where's Laguna?"

The students all looked at each other in surprise, still questioning who he was and how he knew of the Estharians.

Only Rinoa ignored the scene, kneeling beside Squall, she held onto his hand and rested her head against his.

"Laguna, Squall is injured, you might want to bring the Ragnarok… Okay… don't mention it." He replied and hung up.

Ignoring the stares and questions he went in search of Bahamut and Tiamat.

He found the two men outside the ground floor main room, explaining to other members of staff to gather the remaining students in the dorms.

The school Professors came rushing over and started asking a series of questions.

"Professors." Alexander got their attention coolly. "Everything will be explained in due time, for now Squall is in need of some medical attention."

"Ve need to call his father." Odine said looking at Alexander, hoping the man got the hint.

"I've called him, he's on his way." He assured the man.

"Alex, we need to talk." Bahamut informed the man, looking at him in confusion. He had no clue what was going on, no clue to why Alexander was back, nor how he knew Norg had intended something bad for Rinoa and Squall.

"Once everything is sorted, he'll talk." Tiamat interjected, giving Alexander the necessary time to think his story out. Whether Alexander wanted to tell them the truth was up to him. Tiamat didn't need any answers, his concern wasn't Alexander, his concern was how he'd let a snake like Norg into his Centre. If Alexander knew anything about Norg, that was all Tiamat asked of him.

* * *

The Ragnarok landed beside the Centre and as soon as the doors opened Laguna ran out towards the Research Centre. Kiros and Ward followed dragging a clinical bench with them.

Running into the main foyer, Laguna spotted Alexander standing against the wall talking to Tiamat and Bahamut.

"Alex!" Laguna shouted, getting the man's attention. "Where is he?"

"In here." Alexander answered, ushering Laguna into the front room.

Laguna walked in and spotted the group standing around. Zell was hovering over a couch with a brunette pigtailed girl. Another boy with dark spikey hair stood next to them watching in surprise and confusion as Laguna came into view. Quistis and Seifer stood over Rinoa who was kneeling on the floor beside Squall's still body.

There he lay on the soft blue couch, his son, looking lifeless and still. The only hint of life in his body being the soft un-even breathing of his chest heaving up and down.

Laguna knelt beside his son and smooth down his hair. "Squall." He whispered in pain.

"Guys, give them some space." Seifer ordered, moving back himself as Kiros and Ward brought the clinical bench beside them.

Once they lifted Squall onto the bench they wheeled it to the exit. Rinoa still held onto his hand, not letting him go. He had always tried his might to be there for her during her problems, now it was her turn to be there for him.

* * *

It seemed that Laguna had brought along with him a doctor from Esthar, who saw to Squall once they assembled the Ragnarok. Rinoa wanted to remain with him, but the doctor had order it wasn't appropriate and he'd work better without her being there.

Seifer, Quistis and Zell had taken permission from Professor Odine to follow Rinoa and Laguna on the Ragnarok, to which the man allowed them. Alexander also boarded the ship, promising Bahamut that he'd return and explain everything.

The group had gathered in the cockpit as Kiros and Ward set flight for Esthar. Laguna paced the room awaiting the inflight doctor's diagnosis.

Rinoa sat mute with her head in her hands, her hair falling across her shoulders as she thought about Squall and the mess she had gotten him into. Of course it wasn't her doing, but regardless, being involved with Squall had gotten him involved in her tangled mess. She grimaced every time she replayed his scream as the glass shard was taken out of his body. He had screamed so loudly, so painfully, then slumped from the pain. She looked over at Alexander sitting on one of the chairs with his right leg resting on his left. She stared at him closely, still wondering who he was and what he was there for, as well how he knew Laguna.

Laguna watched as Rinoa stared at Alexander, it seemed all this had taken place with a simple misunderstanding. Alexander had blamed it on having his gun out and ready. The situation could have been dealt better if she hadn't seen it. But, fate was fate, and that was how the situation played out. It took some effort, blood, and a soccer punch to the face, but he had carried out his mission and kept Rinoa Heartilly safe. That was all he cared about. Though Squall getting hurt in the process still bugged him, he hoped Laguna didn't blame him for it.

Looking at Laguna, he saw the man looking over at Rinoa who was looking over at him.

"You want to tell them?" Alexander asked Laguna, breaking the man from his stare.

Laguna walked over to the man and held him by the shoulders. "You tell them." He smiled at him and patted his back before taking a seat next to him.

"Who are you?" Seifer asked quickly, getting to the chase.

Alexander smoothed back his blond hair, cleared his throat and looked at all of them before settling his eyes on Rinoa.

"My name is Alexander Piet. I am an undercover agent for CSI: Esthar."

**

* * *

**

Who are ya, do do, do do. Sorry, couldn't help it. ^^

**So, now you know that my Alexander isn't really a GF, well he is but er... Ok lemme explain properly. **

**If you remember, in disk 3 when Rinoa is taken into space, Squall meets with a guy called Piet, the same guy that calls Squall an idiot because he goes into space after Rinoa. Anyways, if any of you challenged Piet to a game of cards, if you beat him you get the Alexander card.  
Thats why i called him Alexander, so in my story, he is actually two FF8 characters playing one :) - This is where you tell me I'm really smart. Hehe! =P**

**Ok, time for a little competition. I want you all to answer two questions, and it doesnt matter if you are reading this a year after I've posted, please do take part.**

**1) The title of the chapter is taken from a level of which popular video game?**

**2) The code Rinoa punches into the grey device is a reference to what in Final Fantasy VIII?**

**Anwer by sending me a review please. Thank you so much!**


	21. Revelations and Operations

**Well after all the hardships, we'll finally see some ease.**

**I know you guys want long chapters, and believe i wrote as much as i could to make it long, but the thing is at the end of this story it's hard to write long chapters without losing the emphasis on certain aspects of the story. This chapter was actually 8000 words, but I had two major aspects in the chapter, so I had no other choice but to split it and write a bit more on both chapters and boost it to 5000 words. **

**Anyways, well done to everyone who entered the competition, buuuut, since so many of you googled the answers, there really was only one winner. So well done to **_Trev James_**, the only person to get BOTH questions right. And a well done thumbs up to you all for trying.**

**Answers:  
1****) Crash Bandicoot 1  
2) Squall's ID at Garden**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 21 - Revelations and Operations

Alexander sat leaning against the leather padded chair facing Rinoa and her friends. All eyes were watching intently as he explained his acquaintance with the Loires and his relation to Esthar.

"Ten years ago, after I graduated from ECU, I was looking into post-graduate schemes to further my education and work experience. Professor Odine, who happened to be one of my lecturers at the time, told me about a space shuttle scheme he had set up." Alexander began explaining. "I had to go through training for six months before I was sent into space, at the age of 22, I was the youngest scientist aboard that shuttle. My experience there had landed me many high demand jobs and I soon went onto working for great companies. All thanks to this man." He continued, looking over at Laguna and receiving a small smile.

"Laguna?" Rinoa asked, curious.

"Yeah, after I graduated, it was with Laguna and Professor Odine's help I was able to land that job with the space shuttle team. Not only that, but our time in space allowed us to carry out different investigations and we happened to be the ones who came up with Omega Wave Communications." He said modestly.

"Really?" Quistis cried excited.

"You actually know what he's talking about?" Seifer asked the blonde.

"Of course, this guy is a genius. OWC is like the best technology out there, there's nothing like it. Its faster, better and more advanced than anything Dobe's brought out." She replied, grinning madly. "We tested some of your minor software for a project once."

Alexander smiled back at her, happy with the compliments.

"Well, I was only able to come up with such technologies because of the chance Laguna gave me. Without him I wouldn't be where I am now." He told the group honestly.

"It was really nothing, besides, you really think the EASA were going to say no to me?" Laguna sarcastically commented.

Smiling, Alexander continued. "About two years ago, after making gillions, I decided to test out my laboratory skills and applied for a position at Crime Scene Investigation: Esthar. There I was working in a lab, carrying out different tests for different crimes. My work was again, very useful and solved a lot of crime."

Stretching his legs out, he yawned before returning to his story. "Soon the Chief of the CSI wanted me to work as an on-scene CSI, this involved me actually visiting the crime scenes and carrying out my own investigations. Again, the experience I picked up allowed me to further in that career. So pretty soon I ended becoming an undercover agent, my first mission involved being sent to Dollet."

"Wow, within ten years, you sure have done a lot." Quistis couldn't help but comment.

"Heh. I guess so." He replied. "But again, none of it would have happened without your help." He said while looking over to Laguna.

"Don't be silly, I didn't do anything but write a letter of recommendation." Laguna replied modestly.

"That's not how I remember it." Alexander replied back.

_

* * *

_

It was just gone past 21:30 and Laguna sat in his study excessively filling out paper work. Summer had approached and it seemed so had the masses of work needed to be done for Esthar.

_It had been three years since his Presidenthood and a lot more work needed to be done to get the country's economy stable. So far Laguna could only see Esthar's finances were similar to that of his a couple of years ago. It seemed that there were more going out than coming in. To make matters slightly worse, with the new program EASA were launching, Esthar was looking to take a huge dip into their savings. However, a big of a dip it was, Laguna strongly believed the program was a means to Esthar's success._

_A buzzer sounded and Delila's youthful voice spoke through his intercom device._

"_Mr President, Alexander Piet here to see you."_

"_Send him in." He replied back and dropped his fountain pen on his table. Putting his hands behind his back he stretched and cracked a couple of bones, sighing from relief._

_The door to his Study opened and Alexander strode in casually, closing the door quietly, yet firmly behind him._

"_Mr President." He nodded to the older man._

"_Alexander, call me Laguna, I've known you far too long for you to be carrying out formalities." Laguna replied back, shaking the younger man's hand._

"_Sorry, Laguna." He replied back with a chuckle._

"_Sorry for calling you in so late, I had meetings after meetings; thought they'd never end!" Laguna replied, his sunken eyes proof of his exhaustion._

"_It's no problem." The other man replied with a shake of his head._

"_Well, I called you over because-"_

"_Because Odine called you didn't he?" Alexander interrupted, rolling his eyes._

"_Ah. Yeah. Alex, I thought you would have wanted to take on this experience?" Laguna asked concerned._

"_I did at first, but things change." He replied vaguely._

"_Like what?"_

"_Laguna, this country is still weak, I don't know if I'll ever have a progressive career here. I want to see if there are any opportunities in Dollet." He honestly replied._

_Laguna nodded his head, understanding the younger man's reasons._

"_Alex, do you feel you won't have a proper future here in Esthar?" He asked the man._

"_I don't think I will. I just don't see how this shuttle program will work, what if our investigations aren't successful? Esthar's economy isn't the best since Adel, what if this investigation just causes more dents onto our already massive debt?" He replied back negatively._

_It was true; Esthar still wasn't stable and this investigation had many drawbacks. The country had only been free from Adel's reign for four years now and it still wasn't that long ago for things to settle back smoothly._

"_Do you think you'll find success outside of Esthar?" Laguna asked, interested to hear the man's opinion._

"_It's worth a try."_

_Laguna nodded again. "Alex, let me tell you something. A place doesn't make a person successful; it's the person's zeal, their motivation, their actions being put to the utmost and most importantly, their reliance. Esthar won't make you successful, the effort you put into your studies will." He spoke determinedly._

_Laguna got up off his chair and walked to his window, looking out at the starry Etharian sky. "I was born and raised in Deling City, I worked as a Galbadian Soldier for five years of my life before working as a journalist. By the time Raine and I married, that's when I finally got my one big shot and had a proper story to investigate; the story of Adel. Before that, I was earning peanuts and mostly relying on Raine's earnings."_

_Alexander looked at Laguna's desk taking in what the other man was saying._

"_My one big story was the same chance that got me where I am today, had I not found out Adel's true intentions for this country, I wouldn't be sitting where I am." He said, walking over to Alexander. "The point I am making? Had I not worked where I was, I wouldn't have found this place, nor would I have gotten this position. I strove, I worked my ass off and I had perseverance. That made me successful, not Deling City, not Esthar."_

"_I know what you're saying." Alexander replied. "But, I'm just not sure if the others feel the same way." He replied, referring to his disheartened colleagues. _

"_Alex, a country is like a body, in order for one part to get better, the entire body needs to fight the illness. Sometimes, one small cell needs to start fighting before the others join in."_

"_Laguna, do you think I'm being selfish?" He asked looking the man in the eye. He hoped Laguna would be honest with him._

"_No, I think you're trying to secure your future, but you don't realise that something like that isn't in your hands. You can't control success, you'll either have it, or you don't. You jus' gotta do whatcha can and leave the rest up to the Al-Mighty." He replied with a smirk at his poorly attempted southern accent._

_Alexander nodded to himself quietly. It was true what the man had said, in order for him to have success in Esthar, he needed to find ways to make it, to give it his best. He couldn't expect that he'd find success in other parts of the world and leave his home behind. He'd have to be one of the people who helped Esthar back on its feet._

_A buzz sound was made again and Delila spoke through the intercom._

"_A Mr Squall Leonhart here to see you, Mr President."_

"_Send him in." Laguna replied, winking at Alexander._

_Alexander turned his body half way towards the door just as Squall walked in. Clad in his blue and yellow chocobo pyjamas, he slowly walked up to Laguna's desk, staring at Alexander curiously._

"_You're up late, Squall." Laguna said, bending down and encircling his arms around his son's waist._

"_I couldn't sleep, Ma said I could sit in here with you if you weren't busy." The young boy replied._

"_Is that so?" Laguna asked smiling down at his son._

_He nodded affirmative before continuing his sentence. "She said you could talk me to sleep."_

_Alexander gave a heartfelt chuckle, he found the small boy amusing._

"_How old are you, Squall?" He asked the small brunette._

_Moving his hair out of his eyes, he looked up at Alexander again. "Seven." He replied._

"_So you must be in school by now. Have you made any friends?" He asked._

_Squall nodded eagerly. "Seifer is my friend, he's taller than me."_

"_That's nice. Do you enjoy school?" Alexander asked, getting quite used to the small boy's company._

"_Yes, my school is in Balamb. It's nice there; it's green everywhere."_

"_I'm sure it must be." He replied before looking back up to Laguna._

_Picking Squall up, Laguna sat on his chair again and placed Squall on top of his desk. The two men continued talking, Laguna mainly doing the persuading with Alexander listening intently while nodding._

"…_Esthar is poor right now, but it's won't always will be. If everyone were to put their efforts into making this country a success, we'd have this place up and running in no time. But it will take our smartest and most achieving people to do it. Even if it means putting one gil into a jar for a rainy day." He finished. "That's what families do."_

_Squall who had been listening intently rose up and jumped off the desk. Hurriedly, he ran to the Study door, opening it and running into the corridor._

"_I don't want you to make any decisions now. Just go home and think about what I said, sleep on it. And if tomorrow you wake up and decide you still feel the same way, I'd still be happy to write you a letter of recommendation wherever you decide to go." Laguna finished and sat back._

"_Thank you, Laguna." Alexander replied. He felt guilty that he still had some reserve, he didn't want to sacrifice his country, but at the same time he didn't want to jeopardise his own future._

_Squall came running in again at that moment and raced to Laguna's desk, dropping a one gil note._

"_What's this?" Laguna asked amused._

"_I got it for Ma." Squall replied. "I want to help out for our Rainey day." He replied back._

"_Rainey day?" Laguna asked, stifling a giggle._

"_Yeah, I want Esthar to always have a Rainey day." Squall smiled, giggling at his joke. He straightened himself and looked at Laguna seriously. "I want to help Esthar."_

_Laguna smiled at his son and picked him up into a hug. "You will, son, you will." He replied kissing him lightly on the cheek._

_Alexander cast his eyes down and smiled. He got up and brushed down his pants._

"_Laguna, have my letter ready by tomorrow, EASA will need it." He said, winking at Squall._

_Laguna smiled hard and shook Alexander's hand. With a little effort and group work, they'd soon have Esthar up and running. _

_After all, they had Squall's one gil to rely on for a Rainey day._

* * *

Squall's fluttering eyes opened up to a brightly lit room. At first it seemed the room was completely white, but as his sight focused, he realised he was in a hospital bed, staring at the panelled ceiling with the bright sunlight coming in through the window.

He blinked once, before hoarsely breathing in a shuddering breath.

"Squall?" Rinoa voice spoke next to him, putting her book down she looked at the brunette. She had been reading for the past twenty minutes when she noticed him breath in deep. She was surprised to see Squall's eyes open with him gazed upwards.

"Rinoa?" He whispered next to her.

She pushed her chair further toward the bed and clasped his hand. Smiling at him she squeezed his hand and looked into his face.

"It's me Squall." She smiled at him and stroked the strands of hair away from his face.

"Where am I?" He asked curiously, wondering why he wasn't still passed out in Centra.

"You're in hospital a Squall, in Esthar, Laguna came to get you." She answered, as he slowly gazed around the room noticing the setting.

It was a private hospital room, modestly big. The walls were divided in half with a plastic panelling, the top half being painted in a light mint green and the bottom painted white. Three small 10x10 inch frames decorated the end wall with pictures of purple and pink flowers centred on a ivory background.

To the end of the room were three arm chairs aligned against the wall, a small shelf holding magazines and another small table with a small black television screen.

On his left sat Rinoa on another arm chair with a large window behind her and a bedside table next to her carrying a bottle of water and a vase of purple flowers.

"Squall I'm going to go call Laguna, Ok? He just went to get some food for us while you were out of it." She replied getting up and gently removing her hand from Squall's.

She walked out of the room leaving Squall to rest quietly.

Within that time Squall was able to assess his own situation. A small beeping noise on his left connected him to a bag of morphine that was keeping his pain at bay. He felt numb on the right side of his jaw and the back of his head. Reaching up with his hand he felt a bandage wrapped around his head.

Feeling the ache in his back, he placed both hands palm down, on the bed and tried pushing himself onto a sitting position.

"Argh!" He cried out, wincing from pain. It started with sharp pain on the right side of his abdomen, it felt like his insides were torn, then lessened to a throbbing.

Laying back down, he breathed in short gasps. Squall lifted his bed covers, throwing them down to his legs and looked at his body. He was wearing a green hospital gown with white thermal pants. Taking the hem of his gown, he pulled it up to his chest and looked to what was causing him such pain. There on the lower right side of his abdomen, was a freshly sealed bandage.

A flashback came back to him. Norg held a glass shard above his body, then brought it down quick and sharp. It pierced into his skin, breaking through and travelling deep until it hit something soft and wedged inside.

Squall shuddered at the thought and closed his eyes.

The doors opened and Rinoa came back in with a nurse.

"Squall!" She cried out once she noticed the bedcovers thrown down to his legs. "Squall, you have a serious injury, don't move." She demanded.

* * *

Half an hour later, after Laguna returned with both food and a doctor, Squall was told of his injury. The glass shard had hit his right kidney, piercing and cutting right through it. Not only that, but he had suffered both internal and external bleeding, causing him to lose a lot of blood.

"The operation should be simple, but we'll need to do a blood transfer straight after it, otherwise you'll lose too much blood and this can cause the new kidney to fail." The doctor explained.

"How will it be done?" Squall asked, slightly worried about having an operation done.

"Well," the doctor started, removing his spectacles and wiping them on a handkerchief, "you'll be put on general anaesthesia while we operate, so you wont feel anything." The doctor said, noting Squall's fear.

"I know." Squall replied, trying to be brave.

"Once the anaesthesia is at work, you'll fall unconscious and we can start the operation. During this time we'll be taking the transplanted kidney and place it on the lower right side of your abdomen where it can be connected with other blood vessels. The failed kidney will be taken out and discarded of-"

"Taken out? I thought you don't normally remove the old kidney?" Squall asked worriedly. He knew his kidney was all torn and unresponsive, but the idea of a part of him having to be taken out wasn't appealing.

"Well normally we don't, unless under three conditions: If the kidney has repeated infections that could spread to the transplanted kidney, uncontrollable hypertensions which would be caused by the kidney, or in the case of reflux; backup of urine into your kidneys." The doctor explained.

"So what category do I fall under?" Squall asked sorrowfully.

"Squall, that shard that hit your kidney carried masses of chemical fluid to help preserve those species. There is a chance that they infected your kidney, so the safest choice here is to take it out."

Squall nodded understanding. A question popped into his head and he looked back the doctor.

"Do you have a donor?" He asked inquisitively.

"I'm the donor." Laguna spoke up. "I've already been tested and it came up positive."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Squall asked, looking Laguna straight in the eyes. It was a lot to do for someone, giving up an organ. Laguna would be at risk of a lot more illnesses, lest his other kidney failed.

"You're my son, of course I'm sure." Laguna replied, somewhat offended. Truth was, he was scared when he had seen Squall's body lying on the blue couch in Centra. Seeing him brought all the memories of Raine's last days with him back again. He didn't want to go through all of that again, he didn't want to lose the only blood relation left to him. He loved Squall too much to let it happen. He'd give up his own life to let the boy live.

"The operation doesn't stop there however, you still need a blood transfer straight after." The doctor continued as Squall frowned. "You lost a lot of blood Squall, too much to be able to produce enough to help you run sufficiently for the next week."

"Well I'm up and about now." He replied sarcastically.

"Only just." The doctor replied back quickly. "Your blood type is AB, and you happen to be running on our last batch of AB donated blood."

Squall looked down at the cotton bed covers, noticing the delicate stitching of the threads woven from one to another. They were all interconnecting, weft interlocking from the top and warp from the sides.

"But, seems like fate is on your side, you friend here happens to be a carrier of the same type." The doctor smiled, looking over at Rinoa.

Squall shot a stare at Rinoa who smiled at him and held his hand.

"You can't." He said to her shaking his head.

"You're in here because of me; the least I can do is give you some blood, Squall." She replied sorrowful.

"Rin-"

"Squall, for once in your life will you stop being the hero and just let us take care of you!" Laguna agitatedly cried. "You're a seventeen year old school kid Squall, you're not some elite mercenary with magical powers, destined to save the world."

"That's what you think." Squall replied back with a smirk.

"Squall Leonhart, was that a joke?" Rinoa cried, amazed that he had made a joke.

"As sad as I am to cut the scene short, we'll need to hurry with the operations; you're still losing a lot of blood." The doctor interrupted.

Squall cleared his throat and went back to his serious mode. "What happens if the new kidney rejects my body?"

"Then we'll have to put you on standby and wait for a donor." The doctor replied quietly.

Squall nodded slowly, understanding his predicament. The doctor announced that he was going to prep the theatre room and his staff, giving Squall some time to mentally prepare.

"Dad." Squall spoke softly, sparking a genuinely worried look from Laguna. "I want to speak to Rinoa alone."

"Ok." Laguna responded, getting up off his chair and making his way to the door. "I'll go see if your father is here yet, Rinoa."

Rinoa nodded back and walked closer to Squall, sitting on the end of his bed facing him.

"It's okay to be scared, Squall." She said once the door closed, leaving the two teens to themselves.

"Rinoa, I am scared, I don't know if the operation will be successful, and I don't know if I have enough strength or blood in me to keep me going. If my body rejects this kidney, I might be waiting a long time before another one is compatible with me." He started saying. Taking her hand, he held it tightly and looked at her worried eyes.

"I was so scared when Norg was holding on you, I couldn't stand and watch someone hurt you like that." He said, his voice shaking with hatred.

"Squall, he didn't hurt me." She tried comforting him.

"I know, but just the idea that he would have done something. I don't ever want anything bad to happen to you." He whispered, frowning hard.

"Don't think about it anymore, it's over." She tried to make him forget, the last thing he needed before the operation was worrying about something that was out of his hands.

"Rin, I want to be with you forever, I don't ever want to let you go, I just want you to stay next to me and let me protect you."

"Squall, you know how I feel about you." She said seriously. "I'll always be here."

"I might not be, not if this operation doesn't go well. I won't get to enjoy life with you." He said painfully.

"Squ-"

"Promise me something!" He demanded, grasping her hand and holding it against his chest.

"Squall, don't make me make some stupid promise because you think you're going to die." She said with a trembling voice. "We've come too far for that nonsen-". With her voice faltering, she let lose a couple of tears. She couldn't help the image of Squall lying in her arms come back, nor the sound of his shrieking voice from the pain of having the glass shard removed.

They had both been through a lot, problems many never face in their entire life. Yet, within the space of a few months, they had pretty much been thrown into a maze of tribulations. It had made them stronger, more determined, more patient and most importantly, more affectionate towards one another. They desired each other stronger than ever before.

Yet Squall still felt it would all be taken away.

"Please promise me." He pleaded.

* * *

"What do you think he's asking her?" Caraway asked Laguna.

The General had arrived shortly after Laguna left the room. He had a call come in from Laguna when they had landed in Esthar. Kiros and Ward took the Ragnarok to Deling City and picked up the General personally.

It had scared him finding out what Rinoa had gone through, he was happy for the personal service that he took advantage of, to get to her sooner. It was a father's worse nightmare to be called and told that his daughter's life was in danger. It wasn't something Caraway wanted to ever experience again.

"If he's anything like his mother, the same thing she said to me." Laguna said emotionally. "He'll be telling her that he loves her, but if he had to, he'd let her go. For her to move on after him and find someone else to love. The only agreement being, to remember him every now and then."

Caraway shook his head while looking down at tiled hospital floor. "They're so young to be going through all of this." He whispered.

"I agree. But there's just something about those two that make them seem so much older. You wouldn't have ever thought you'd be in such a serious relationship at their age." Laguna retorted, remembering his youthful days. Meeting Raine at the age of twenty-seven had matured him enough to be able to have some sort of serious relationship with someone of the opposite sex.

"At their age, I was too occupied in following my father's footsteps and getting into Deling Military Academy." Caraway responded next to him.

They both silently watched the two teens through the glass panel of the door for a few seconds until they noticed Rinoa nodding her head and hugging Squall. It seemed she had agreed to his wishes, they knew she would have, she loved him enough to agree to whatever he demanded.

Rinoa soon walked over to the room's entranced and opened the door. Wiping her tears she hugged her father and welcomed him.

"Squall wants to talk to both of you." She said quietly, moving aside for both men to enter the room.

* * *

Alexander put his keys down on his office table and sat down on his chair. Most of the other detectives were out on their own missions so he pretty much had the place to himself.

He lifted his hand and hovered it over the office phone, pondering whether it was a good idea to call Tiamat and Bahamut and tell them of his real reason for why he was in Centra.

Before he left, Bahamut had called the Centrian Police force who flew over to the Centre and officially arrested Norg. Though Alexander wanted to arrest him himself, Centra had their own strict laws, and seeing as the crime took place in Centra, it was a Centri arrested.

Alexander gathered he should be thankful that the man would now be behind bars, and not running off freely after the crime he intended to commit. Sure he would be behind bars for attempted murder, but it was better that he got a ten year sentence than a life sentence for ending the young Caraway's life.

One thing Alexander wanted to make sure of was the money to recover the costs for the damages done to the Centre. He had enough money to pay for the damages himself, but a little favour from a Centri Judge and maybe Norg could end up paying. After all, he did have that five million gil sitting in his bank account; he'd hardly need it in prison.

Smiling to himself, Alexander picked up the phone and dialled in the Deep Sea Research Centre number, he'd made a mental note to make the call to the Centri Judge after he was done with his ex-colleagues.

"Deep Sea Research Centre, Leviathan speaking, how may I help you?" A voice spoke back.

"Levy, it's me Alex, put Tiamat on will you." Alexander replied.

It would take a while, but the DSR centre would be back on its feet.

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Alright, chapter 21 over, two more to go and then its all over...

**Oh yeah, another chance at a competition. You all remember my OC Lauren right? The girl who locked Rinoa and Seifer in the bathroom? Well, Rinoa said she'd get her back another time, and that time is coming up.**

**I'd like for my readers and reviewers to think of what Rinoa could do to get Lauren back, you can make it as evil as you want, but dont go overboard. Just drop me a review or PM of your idea and the winner will have their idea used in the next chapters. You could even write out the sequence, exactly what Lauren's reaction will be and what Rinoa says to her etc.**

**So, get writing!**


	22. An Everlasting Bond

**So a lot of you were distressed on hearing that Squall is in hospital. I can't promise everything will be alright. Many authors write dramatic and tragic endings because it makes the story so much more emotional. So i wish i could say this chapter isnt going to be emotional, but then i'd be lying to you...**

**Tried very hard to make this a long chapter, but the curtains are drawing now, the end is near.**

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Chapter 22 - An Everlasting Bond

The two men sat down on the chairs provided by the hospital. General Caraway sat crossed legged next to Laguna who sat with his arms leaning on his knees.

Rinoa climbed onto the foot of the hospital bed and stroked Squall's foot through the cotton bed sheets. Smiling at him, she encouraged him to go on and start the conversation.

"You both know how Rinoa and I feel about each other." He started off, getting modest nods from both men. "We've been through a lot these past few months, more than most people have within ten years of their relationship."

He breathed out deeply, worried about what the two men would say to him next.

"We can't show you how strongly we feel about each other, we can't find the words to say how we feel about each other. The only thing we know, is that since we've met, we've desired each other. We're in love and we don't see our feelings changing, ever."

"Squall, we do know that. We know your feelings are genuine." Laguna agreed with his son. It had only been a few weeks ago that the General and himself had been talking about the very matter.

"Everything that we've been through, we've realised that it has made us stronger, more determined to be together. We want to be together properly, enjoy every moment together." He continued. He looked at Caraway, looked deep into his eyes, watching the man's expression and hoping he wouldn't be mad.

Caraway wore a relaxed look, he knew Squall was a good boy and had the best intentions for his daughter, he wouldn't ever doubt the boy. Being by Rinoa's side the whole time she endured her ordeals just made Squall's profile all the more sweeter for Caraway. Looking at Squall lying on the bed, Caraway thought to himself, if there was anything Squall shouldn't be worried about, it was Caraway's belief in their feelings for each other.

"I love Rinoa," Squall continued slowly, "which is why I asked her to marry me."

Laguna and Caraway both looked shocked, neither had quite expected Squall to come out with such a news. Laguna certainly thought Squall would be as stoic and pessimistic as his normal self. He never imagined Squall to come out with such a request.

"And I agreed." Rinoa softly contributed.

Caraway was the first to speak. "You both are so young." He quietly said.

"We know Dad, but we want to be together." She replied, slightly on the defence sensing that her father would object.

"But, you've been through a lot, maybe you both need to think it over. You know, make sure this is what you really want and not just saying it because of the moment." Laguna continued with Caraway's concerns.

"It isn't about the moment, we've both wanted this for a long time. When we got together, we knew it wasn't based on time. We both wanted it to last till we took our last breath." Squall responded.

He knew they wouldn't agree, of course they were both young and had been through a lot. He knew his father's concerns were more about him acting on impulse and regretting it in the future. But Squall knew it wasn't something he'd regret. He loved Rinoa, he wanted to be with her properly, he wanted to share every living moment with her, and he couldn't imagine his life without her.

"Maybe you should both just see how your relationship develops through time. Take it a bit slow." Caraway suggested.

"Dad, Laguna." Rinoa said softly, attracting their attention to her. "Too much has happened for us to expect we're going to settle into a calm life. We didn't start liking each other the moment we were thrust into one problem after another. We've liked each other since the day we met. Since that day, I can't imagine not being with Squall, and it scares me just to think that there will come a day when I won't be with him." She said emotionally.

The two men listened intently, while Rinoa played with the ring on her necklace.

"Please don't stop us from doing this, we just want to be together, we just want to enjoy life our way, every free moment we can get."

Squall looked at his father's concerned eyes, it matched the General's. "Dad, General," He hoped what he said next wouldn't cause a negative reaction, "wouldn't you give anything for just one more day with your wives?"

Laguna looked a bit taken aback, swallowing hard. The General kept cool, only blinking from the unexpected question.

"Wouldn't you want to see them smile one more time? Hear them tell you that they loved you? Hold their hand and feel the softness of their skin? Hold their delicate body in your arms and have that feeling of protection once more?" He asked sincerely. "Please don't deny me that, please let us enjoy one another before fate causes us to part."

Rinoa crawled up to Squall, holding him into a hug. It was an emotional moment for the four of them. The two teens wanting nothing but to be together, while the parents were only thinking about what little time they had with their children.

But what Squall had said was right. They were adults now, gone through so much that they had matured excessively through the few passed months. And neither men would want anyone to stand in their way, if they had ever gotten a chance to see their wives again.

"Squall, are you asking for my permission?" Caraway asked sternly.

"Of course, I wouldn't go ahead without it." Squall answered firmly.

Caraway nodded, reinforcing his earlier opinion of the young boy. "Then you have my permission." He replied smiling.

Rinoa smiled and gently eased herself off the bed. Walking over to her father, she bent down and hugged him. "Thank you." She whispered.

"I think it would be very stupid of me to disagree with decision, I always thought Squall would never get married." Laguna joked, sparking a rolling of the eyes from his son.

"The thing is," Rinoa interrupted, "we want to do it now." She said, looking at both men worriedly.

"Now? But nothing is prepared." Caraway said frowning.

"We don't want a big thing, just to get the ceremony done. Anything else can wait after I'm better." Squall replied. "They normally have religious ministers working in the prayer facilities in hospitals don't they?" He asked Laguna.

"Yeah I think they do." Laguna replied.

"Well, we can get one of them to do it." He replied quickly, having already thought this through.

Laguna looked at Caraway who only shrugged at him. "Ok." Laguna said easily. "You both seem to have made up your minds."

"Alright, so you want it to be now, now?" Caraway asked Rinoa holding her by the shoulders to make sure she was certain.

"Yes Daddy." She replied hugging him. "Before Squall has to go into surgery."

"Alright, well I'll speak to the doctor and tell him we need a private moment." Laguna offered walking towards the door.

"I'll call Ellone and Quistis, they should be here before Squall goes into surgery." Rinoa said following Laguna to the door.

"Erm, well I guess I can stand around here. Or I could pop down and get you some clothes, Rinoa. You look like you're wearing day old clothes." He commented looking at her track pants and dirty grey top.

"I am." She replied, rolling her eyes.

The three of them walked out of the room going about their business, leaving the lone wolf by himself.

Squall breathed hard, thinking about what was to come. He was scared, but excited nonetheless. The troubles had ceased now, now there was only healing.

"I'll just stay here." He whispered to the empty room.

* * *

"Ah, President Loire, we're ready for the operation." The doctor said approaching Laguna in the hospital corridor.

"Ah, yeah about that." Laguna replied, putting his arms around the doctor and leading him the opposite way.

Rinoa inserted a couple of gils into the phone box and dialled in Quistis's number. She waited three rings before the blonde picked up.

"Hello?" Quistis spoke.

"Hey, it's me." She replied back.

"Hey! How's Squall?" She asked quickly. "Ellone just got here."

"Yeah, Quistis I need you and Ellone to come down here. Bring Seifer and Zell if need be. Squall's about to go into operation so you gotta be quick."

"Alright we're on our way." Quistis agreed before hanging up.

* * *

Half an hour later, Caraway walked back into the hospital with three shopping bags of clothes. He took the elevator up to the fourth floor and walked back to Squall's room.

Rinoa looked up as her father came into the room.

"Whaddya buy?" She asked cutely, knowing the bags were for her.

"I just bought some everyday clothes, but er, this bag has a pretty nice dress you could wear." He replied, smiling he took the dress out.

It was a light gold silk, heart shaped neck, evening gown with full length sleeves. A layer of cream mesh fell from the breast line, covered in golden embroidery. The arms were puffy at the shoulders, the bodice being slightly tight fitting, making the dress look fit for a princess.

"Is this suitable for my Princess?" He asked amused.

"Dad, it's beautiful." Rinoa replied, stroking the material carefully.

"Go try on it." He said handing her the dress.

Squealing with delight, Rinoa took the dress and made way for the ladies' room.

* * *

Ellone, Seifer, Quistis and Zell finally reached Squall's room and found the other four members of their group sitting around Squall's bed.

"Hey, you going into surgery yet?" Seifer asked, walking up to Squall's bed and placing a fruit basket on his night stand.

"Not just yet." Squall replied, hesitatingly he looked at them, wondering what they would say to his decision.

Rinoa saw the look on Squall's face and held his hand. Lying next to him on his bed, she sat up, folding her legs underneath her and keeping her white robe securely in place around her body before she began to speak.

"Squall and I have an announcement." She said to the group. They all looked at both of them expectantly, curious to know what news they would hear.

Seeing her friends' prolonged silence, Rinoa smiled over at Squall, who nodded in reply.

"Squall asked me to marry him." She said with the biggest grin on her face. Practically all of their faces lit up. Seifer's went from his normal expression to complete shock, Quistis's mouth flew open in surprise, Ellone's hands went up to her mouth in equal shock and Zell's goofy grin even made a cameo. All four were in surprise, their faces expressing their disbelief, their silence an indication of wanting to know the answer to the surprising news.

"Rinoa said yes." Squall replied back coolly.

"Oh my-" Quistis was about to say before she was interrupted by Rinoa.

"And we're getting married today." She replied, taking her robe off she revealed the gold dress her father bought her.

"What the…" Zell's astounded voice faltered.

"When did this all happen? And how did you get them to agree?" Ellone's disbelief kicked in causing her to speak about their fathers.

"We'll explain everything after the ceremony. We need to make our way downstairs like now, Squall's operation is in half an hour." Rinoa replied, jumping off the bed and putting the white robe aside.

* * *

The Ceremony was pretty quick, neither Squall nor Rinoa expected such a prolonged, extravagant wedding ceremony given their circumstances. They knew their friends wouldn't understand yet, only they knew their reasons for such a quick wedding.

They loved each other, they wanted nothing more than just to be together without any more problems, to be together for as long as they wanted, for as long as they needed. They didn't need an extravagant, populated and flashy wedding, they just needed to be together properly, to try at a normal life.

Seifer, Quistis, Ellone and Zell sat on chairs behind Laguna and the General. Squall sat in his wheelchair next to a standing Rinoa. His heart was beating fast, his mouth kept drying up and his mind was whirl winding through different thoughts, all based around his new life with Rinoa. He was excited, nervous, hasty and all in all wholeheartedly in love with the girl standing next to him.

While the minister stood talking about the virtues and seriousness of marriage, Squall couldn't help but think back to his first meeting with Rinoa.

She had smiled up at him, her eyebrows rising up as she looked into his eyes. Her lips had formed a subtle smiling, and her eyes shone when she heard his name.

He had looked at her, taking in all her beauty and hearing the sweetness of her voice. From that instance he couldn't stop thinking about her. The entire first week, all he had dreamt of was her, all he thought about was her. Now he stood, waiting for them to be joined in holy matrimony, paired together by a few small words that held such a great importance. She wouldn't just be Rinoa anymore, she'd be his Rinoa.

His heart was fluttering from just think about their new life together. He'd wake up every morning and find her next to him. He'd go to sleep every night with her wrapped in his strong arms. Every moment in between the threads of night and day, she'd be there. She'd stay close him, she'd care for him, love him and be his pillar of support. And he'd be her's. He was her knight in black leather clothing, protecting her from any hurt she'd face. He'd continue to stand by her and support her along the way. Everything he had done for her was made all the more important and all the more worthwhile now that he stood beside her.

He had asked himself a question the first time he felt strongly for her. Would he take a bullet for her? And he had replied that he'd taken a thousand. Of course it wasn't a bullet that he had taken, rather a rusty glass shard. But it was a symbol of his loyalty, his protectiveness and his love for her.

The minister continued with the ceremony and began asking the necessary questions.

"Who are the witnesses?" He had asked.

Seifer and Zell put up their hands indicating their involvement. It was surreal for them watching the procedure, never did they imagine their seventeen year old friend to be standing next to a girl, ready to take an oath of marriage. Seifer was sceptical at first, he had thought it was the morphine talking. But keeping his thoughts to himself, he was happy. He wanted nothing more than for Squall and Rinoa to be happy. They had gone through a lot in the past couple of months, they needed something to make them happy, something to strengthen their relationship and solidify their love for one another. What better way was there, other than a small ceremony that held a massive life-changing weight.

The minister hadn't even started with the agreements, but Quistis was already crying. She sat there next to Ellone and Seifer, wiping her eyes on a Kleenex. It was finally happening; her cursed promise was finally being broken. She had fully regretted making Rinoa promise something so futile, something which lead to a series of unfortunate events, submerging Rinoa and Squall into problem after problem. Yet now, there they both were standing ready to defy the promise and be together.

Ellone and Zell couldn't but be happier for them both. The petit brunette sat in her seat, her grin never leaving her as she gazed into the back of Squall's head. She never imagined Squall in the position he was in that day. She never imagined Squall to fall in love, let alone want to spend his entire life with another girl. She was glad that all the trials he had been through with Rinoa was worth it in the end. They had supported each other and bore through each problem. It had strengthened their relationship and Ellone knew that they'd be together for a very long time.

Looking up at Laguna, Ellone smiled at the middle-aged man. They had gone through the painful ordeal seven years ago with Raine's death, and although she was no replacement, both daughter and father were looking forward to the additional family member they were about to inherit. She made Squall happy, she made Squall smile, but most importantly, Rinoa had made Squall love.

"You are both certain that you want to go ahead with this?" The minister asked the two teens who nodded eagerly. "Very well, marriage is a blessed thing, I won't promise you a calm and simple life, you will have ups and down, but the benefits surely outweigh the problems." He replied smiling.

Rinoa looked down to Squall sitting next to her, they both read each other's thoughts; they had gone through so much, what could possibly tear them apart now?

"And you consent to this marriage?" The minister asked Rinoa, who nodded, forcing herself not to roll her eyes.

"Good, let's continue." He replied.

The questions continued and the fathers took their place. The Minister brought forward the freshy faxed marriage documents, getting Rinoa and Squall to sign their names as well as their fathers' and the witnesses' signatures.

"What do you request?" The Minister asked Rinoa.

"Request?" She asked confused.

Laguna stepped in making a clarification. "In Estharian weddings the bride is given a gift from the groom. It's like a dowry."

"Oh." Rinoa replied, thinking hard. "So what do I ask for?"

"Anything you want, money, clothes, jewellery, so long as the husband has the capability." The Minister replied.

"Ok." She replied thinking hard. It came to her instantly and she smiled at Squall, her eyes twinkling as she thought about his reaction.

"I want your Griever ring." She said teasingly.

Squall looked at her, hesitating. He looked down at his ring and then at her. "But I like this ring." He replied.

"But I want it." She replied childishly.

"Do you agree?" The Minister asked.

Squall let out a small laugh before nodding his head. "Ok." He replied, for her he could give up his ring.

Taking it off his finger, Rinoa took off her necklace and allowed Squall to lace it through. Squall took both ends of the necklace and placed it back onto her neck.

"I'm your wife now," Rinoa started saying, "you have to get used to me taking all your stuff."

Squall just rolled his eyes and laughed along with her. Of course, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"These are your documents, you will need to take it down to the Town Hall for them to process." The Minister informed them, handing Squall the documents. "I can now happily say, you are both husband and wife, I pray you have a wonderful, loving and merciful marriage."

Squall and Rinoa looked at each other, eye to eye. _Here's to hoping._ They both smirked.

* * *

After the ceremony Squall and Laguna were taken to their operations while Rinoa was taken to a different floor for blood donation.

The surgeries lasted a couple of hours, Laguna coming out of operation before Squall.

Both surgeries were successful, Laguna only needing to stay in hospital for a short while until his stitchings healed. Squall was required to stay in hospital for a full week while the doctors monitored the results of the operation.

Rinoa was only required to remain in the hospital overnight after her blood donation. She felt drained after the transfer and used Squall's operation time to get some shut eye.

She felt quite pleased at herself, not only did she share a marital bond with Squall, but sacrificing blood for each other gave a merit of its own.

* * *

With father and son sharing a room, the group made their way to the hospital everyday to check up on them. Laguna was released midweek and Squall stayed until his wound got better and he was only required crutches to walk with.

After a full week in hospital, Squall desired nothing but to return to Balamb. Making arrangements, Laguna had the Ragnarok prepared for their flight back to Balamb.

Parking up at the Loire resident in the Balamb Villas, Ellone got out of the car and opened up Rinoa's side of the door. The raven haired girl got out and ran to the back, opening up the boot and getting Squall's crutches out. Making her way back to the open passenger door, she handed Squall the crutches and helped him out.

Once they had gotten their luggage out of the boot, the four of them made their way into the house.

Since Squall's wound was somewhat fresh he had to be careful and carry out a lot of his actions slowly. Taking the stairs was something the doctors had advised him to do slowly or avoid if need be. It took him a couple of minutes, but he soon got to the top of the stairs and made his way to his room using the steel grey crutches given to him.

Laguna rolled Rinoa and Squall's luggage into Squall's bedroom and set it to one side.

"I can help you unpack if you like?" He asked Rinoa.

"No, it's alright I'll do it a bit later." Rinoa answered back. Her new father-in-law had already done enough, she didn't want to ask any more of him.

"Ok, well Alexander said he'll let me know when the court proceedings will start. I'm guessing Ultimecia's will start before Norg's." Laguna informed the two.

Sighing with relief Rinoa replied. "Good. I'm just happy everything is finally over."

Laguna directed a sympathetic smile towards the new family member. "Hey, remember everything you guys have been through has made you a lot stronger. Now you'll be able to handle anything."

"I hope so." She replied, opening up her luggage and starting to put things into the empty draws.

"I hope they both get what they deserve." Squall couldn't help but be brutally honest.

"They will, based on Centri laws, and lets just say they tackle crime just as bad as the Galbadians." Laguna replied, getting a raised eyebrow from Rinoa. "Oh, no offence intended." He said holding out his hands. He'd have to get used to having a Galbadian in his house.

"Hmm." She smirked at him.

"Well, I'll leave you both now." Laguna said awkwardly and headed out of the room closing the door behind him.

Sitting on the bed, Squall watched Rinoa as she walked his room slowly and inspected it.

She turned to him with a wicked smile. "You know, now that we're sharing a room, you're going to have to add a lot more blue in here." She teased.

Squall rolled his eye, smirking at her. He held out his hand and ushered her over to him.

Walking over to her new husband, she sat down on the bed next to him and gazed into his steel-blue eyes.

He moved her bangs out of her eyes and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. Slowly, he moved his head towards her, resulting in her coming closer to him. She closed her eyes once she felt his breath on her and finally she felt his lips melt on to hers.

* * *

Ellone had cooked dinner and sent Squall's and Rinoa's plates up to their room. With the doctor's orders in place she didn't want Squall to be constantly going up and down the stairs.

After finishing dinner with Ellone, Laguna walked up to Squall's room and handed him the official Estharian marriage certificate.

Squall couldn't help but smile looking at it. There in the neat black bold letters were his and Rinoa's names. He felt proud just looking at it.

"I never imagine Squall getting married, let alone before me." Ellone teased, pouting unhappily.

"Neither did I." Laguna agreed.

"Never judge book by its cover." Squall merely replied.

The phone rang downstairs and Ellone hurried to answer it. Rinoa walked into the room at that moment, wearing her bathroom robe and having her hair in a wrapped up towel.

"Bathroom's all yours." She said smiling at Laguna.

"Ah, good, think I'll have a quick shower before heading to bed." The older man replied and walked out.

Squall walked over to his desk using his crutches and placed the marriage certificate down. He smiled at it once more before making his way back to his bed.

"How are we going to do this tonight, what with my injuries and all." He asked Rinoa.

Rinoa let out a giggle while towel drying her hair. "Squall, we don't have to do anything until you get better." She replied grinning.

"Huh?" He said confused.

"We can wait until your injuries heal before we, you know." She said smiling.

"…I meant sharing a bed." He replied surprised.

Going a deep shade of red, Rinoa stared at him open mouthed. She soon found her voice and tried excusing herself.

"Oh, I thought you meant-"

"No I thought we'd wait-" Squall interrupted.

"'Cause we're married-"

"I wouldn't until your ready-"

"I was just thinking, because the way you said it-"

"Oh no, I meant in terms of sleeping-"

"It just sounded like you meant-"

"It wouldn't be possible now-"

"Yeah, 'cause of your-

"Injuries." Squall finished.

They were both silent for a while, not looking at each other, listening to the quietness around them.

Rinoa looking down at the floor, wishing for it to open up and swallow her, raised an embarrassed beetroot face at Squall. "I'm going to go check on Ellone." She said slowly, pointing stupidly at the floor and quickly hurried out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her.

Now on either side of the door, they both let a secret smile cross their face and let out a whispered chuckle.

* * *

Laguna ran up the stairs and made his way into Squall's room. Opening the door, he found Squall sitting on his bed with his legs in front of him, writing something into a notepad.

"What's up?" Laguna asked and made his way over to the oak desk at the side of the maroon painted room. Squall had sent a text message to his father telling him come up stairs as he had to speak to him about something important.

"I've been thinking, I think I know a way to get Galbadia and Esthar on speaking terms." Squall said, still thinking to himself.

"How?" Laguna asked, wanting to hear any possibilities.

"I want a Press Conference of my own. It's time I come out into the lime light… and bring my new wife along with me." He replied, his eyes alight with an idea.

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You know I wouldn't have killed Squall off, you dont need to kill a character off in order to show emotion.

**Anyhoo, I tried a different approach to the whole 'taking Squall's ring'. The whole using it as a marriage ring I'm assuming is cliche since a lot of people have probably already done that.**

**So... next chapter is the last, I still need ideas for Rinoa's revenge on Lauren. I'm thinking the last chapter will be quite long.**

**R&R!**


	23. The Set Up

**Wow, it has been well over a month since I have updated this story and I apologise for that. Truth is, I've been so busy with other stuff and for a while BTA took precedence since so many of you favoured that one.**

**But try as I might, I really did try to make this chapter long, but it just wouldn't. I think that is a benefit, the last chapter is always sweeter when its direct and to the point and with 3000 words, I hope I've done just that.**

**So without futher delays, I give you the last chapter to The Set Up.**

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**Chapter 23 - The Set Up**

After the talk with Laguna, Squall talked to Rinoa about his plan to bring the two nations together. The new bride had excitedly agreed and the two called the General about their idea. Of course, this brought some questions to the sincerity of their marriage, but both had denied ever thinking of the idea before. It was a long shot that either countries would agree, so their marriage based on this idea was all the more futile. After excessively promising that their marriage was for them alone, General Caraway agreed to the Press Conference and apologised for doubting their intentions.

Laguna then took it upon himself to start arranging a Press Conference in the coming week.

Squall had to remain at home, bedbound more or less, due to his injuries. Rinoa on the other hand, had to unpleasantly return to school with out him.

Upon entering school a lot of people had noticed Squall's Griever ring nestled comfortably on the necklace around Rinoa's neck. She herself couldn't help but play around with it, and on the one incident, show it off in her Art lesson in plain view of Lauren, whose face couldn't get any greener. She had admitted that they were seeing one another, withholding their marriage announcement for Squall to make himself. Only Selphie and Irvine were clued in at lunch, both extremely happy for the couple, but regretting their lack of involvement. After promising that there would be a proper reception, and promising Selphie that she'd handle the decorations, Rinoa had the two smiling again.

"Wow, I just can't believe so much happened and we weren't even there!" Selphie exclaimed during lunch.

"Well trust me, you didn't miss anything exciting in Centra." Rinoa sarcastically retorted.

"How's Squall's injuries?" Seifer asked sitting opposite from Selphie.

"Getting better, though he still has to use the crutches to move about."

"It feels weird not having Squall around." Zell commented, causing his friends to lower their gaze to the empty seat next to Rinoa.

* * *

Rinoa parked up Squall's Audi at the Loire home and got out of the car dragging her school bag with her. Ellone's car wasn't parked in the driveway so she assumed the older girl must have gone to a lecture.

It felt slightly surreal that the Loire home was now part hers. She never imagined when she got to Balamb that she'd be living in a brand new house, with a new husband and a complete new family. It felt surreal, but it felt nice.

Skipping the rest of the way to the house, she took out the spare key given to her by Laguna and inserted it into the lock. Once she entered the house she kicked off her shoes, putting them into the shoe closet and ran up the stairs to her new bedroom.

Squall was up and on his laptop, writing up his speech for the Press Conference. A mug of coffee sat next to him, cold and untouched.

"You home?" Squall muttered, his hands moving at lighting speed.

"Yeah." Rinoa replied and walked up to him.

Now by his side he turned to her and met her welcoming kiss. She turned to the laptop screen and read his recent update.

"Sounds good." She complimented and patted his back.

"Let's just hope they agree." He replied seriously.

* * *

At 6pm the doorbell to the Loire's home was rung repeatedly. Rinoa, being in the kitchen about to get dinner prepared, walked over to the door frowning.

Opening the door she found none other than Selphie and the rest of the gang in tow.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, moving out of the way and allowing everyone in.

"We've come to have our very own party." Selphie cried holding up bags of shopping.

"What for?" Rinoa questioned as Zell and Seifer made their way in holding more food and drink, and a distinctly square-shaped white box which probably carried a very tasty cake.

"For your wedding, duh!" Selphie cried and shut the door tightly.

After all the food was placed on the living room table and the necessary cutlery and dishes were put out, Squall made his way downstairs to meet the gang. He had heard of their arrival but wanted to finish of his speech before he met them.

Now all seven teens sat in the living room talking and reminiscing on their earlier days. It felt nice to sit without any more worries, not feeling the expectations of some form of danger hiding behind a mask, or the unknown feelings of a loved one. Now everything was out in the open, all the hurt and danger had subsided. Now was a time for ease.

"Well, the winter holidays are coming up, what are our plans?" Selphie asked the group. Everyone thought, everyone apart from Squall and Rinoa.

"We're staying right here in Balamb." Rinoa said with conviction.

"I think we've had enough adventure to last us a life time." Squall followed on.

"Aww, I wanted us all to go to Fisherman's Horizon." Selphie replied sadly.

"What's there?" Seifer asked curiously. It seemed FH was just a small town with hardly anything to do apart from fishing.

"I don't know, I've never been there before." The petite brunette replied.

"We should go Deling City." Zell added quickly.

"Yeah that could be fun, us girls can go shopping and you boys can check out the Gran Prix." Quistis replied, remembering her experiences of Deling City when she visited Rinoa.

"Well, Squall and I were talking about the wedding reception, and we're thinking of having it in Deling City, in the Town Hall district where they hold the parade, so everyone can attend." Rinoa said after some thinking. "We could arrange the wedding during the winter holidays."

"Oh you're going to be a snow bride!" Selphie cried out in excitement.

Rinoa just laughed. She looked over at Squall and caught his longing eyes. She stuck out her tongue at him and continued to munch her food.

"So do you all think everything is settled?" Irvine asked suddenly. "I mean, Ultimecia and all her goons?"

Cautious eyes panned the room looking at each other.

"Why, what have you heard?" Quistis asked, mirroring Rinoa's thoughts.

"Oh no." Irvine smiled. "Nothing. I was just wondering if everything was truly over."

Squall sighed and thought before he decided to speak. They didn't have any guarantee, nor any promise that things were looking rosy, the only thing they could do now was hope and pray that things truly were over.

"I'd like to sit here and say that everything will be fine." Squall finally spoke. "But I'd be deluding myself and you all if I did. I don't know what the future will bring, heck I don't even know if my Press Conference will put things right. The one thing I do know is that I'm not living my life in fear. Whatever tomorrow has, bring it on." He finished.

Looking at his friends he could see the looks of admiration, loyalty and love from each one of them. It was their way of showing him that they'd be right there, side by side, fighting tomorrow along with him.

"Here, here." Rinoa mocked, raising her glass.

"Here, here!" They screamed in unison.

"Ok, who wants cake!" Selphie cried shooting up and running for the fresh cream cake sitting on the kitchen worktop.

* * *

The day for the Press Conference had arrived. Rinoa and Squall had made their way with Laguna and General Caraway to the Balamb Town Hall. The main hall was quite large, marble flooring and big sturdy pillars attracted most of the attention that little detail was given to the other décor around the room. Seats were spread across the floor for the guests as well as the photographers and news reporters.

The chatter in the hall was to an astounding level, no one knew what they were about to hear, just that President Laguna and General Caraway were about to shed some light on the recent events leading to the civil riots in Galbadia.

Behind the curtain, Rinoa and Squall stood listening to the loud murmurings of people present. Squall was running his lines over in his head while Rinoa stood next to him, holding his hand for moral support.

"Guys," Laguna called out to them, "it's show time."

Squall took a deep breath and walked out to the front of the stage with Rinoa in tow. The entire hall went silent watching as the two fathers sat down next to the two strangers. Rinoa Heartilly was eventually noticed and the audience were only curious about the young boy's hand she was still clinging to.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, myself and General Caraway thank you for attending this Press Conference in such short notice. We have some news to shed on the recent events that took place in Galbadia and Centra. But firstly, I would like to introduce you to my son Squall Leonhart, who has something to say to you all." Laguna's long introduction finally ended with a lot of hushed remarks of surprise and the immediate flashing of cameras trying to get a shot of Squall.

Squall cleared his throat and bent forward to speak into the microphone.

"Good afternoon. My name is Squall Leonhart, I am the son of Laguna Loire and Raine Leonhart-Loire. I'm seventeen years old and I attend Balamb High School." He started off.

Looking around the room, Squall could see eyes silently watching him, waiting for him to continue.

"About three months ago, Rinoa Heartilly moved to Balamb. She was staying with her cousin who also attends our school. Through these months we have gotten to know each other very well, I was present during the false allegations made against her on numerous occasions, and I was with her when she was attacked in Centra, which you are all aware of." He continued before taking a deep breath.

Rinoa sitting next to him squeezed his hand, reminding him that she was still there.

Smiling Squall once again continued.

"What you have read in the newspapers about Rinoa Heartilly has been lies. I don't need to go into details about what were lies and what weren't, but the only thing I will say is that Rinoa Heartilly has one of the most kindest, caring hearts I've ever seen and she did nothing to deserve the brutal attacks from Ultimecia."

A couple of whispers started from the back, it seemed people still weren't satisfied with Squall's explanation.

"I asked you here Ladies and Gentlemen, to ask for a chance. A chance to see Galbadia and Esthar unite. I am the son of the President of Esthar, I am an Estharian. However, I am also from Galbadian decent, as is the young lady next to me. Please do not let our past generations dictate how we live our lives. Please do not sacrifice our livelihood for the mistakes of others."

Sitting up straight, Squall looked into the eyes of some of the reporters.

"We, the younger generation, want to see a peaceful, united world. We do not want to live in a world with hate, war and violence. If we can accept each other's ethnic background, please join us, celebrate and end this futile feud between our countries."

A hum of agreement was heard amongst the crowd. It seemed the plea of the young boy was finally settling in the hearts of people.

"Please celebrate with us. Myself, and my Galbadian wife, Rinoa Heartilly." Squall finally finished and put his arm around Rinoa.

The camera's couldn't get enough, flashes kept rolling as the reporters started calling out for further verification. One eventually was given priority and Squall answered his dire question.

"You did not hear wrong. Rinoa and I were married in Esthar, both our fathers agreed. We've been in love since the day we met and the only positive things that came out of everything we've been through, is how stronge as a couple we've become and our marriage."

The questions continued and Rinoa soon took it upon herself to answer some and give a detailed explanation.

"Regardless of whether some people like our relationship, we know that it feels right. I was saved by my husband when I was in Centra. I thank him for it, and I love him even more for it. And when he was attacked because of me, I donated blood to him when he was in need, not to pay him back, but because that's what you do when you love someone, that's what you do for family."

The question and answer session took a little longer than expected, but Rinoa and Squall were willing to answer the world's questions if it meant Galbadia and Esthar uniting.

"I thank you all for your time and presence." Caraway soon ended the conference. "We hope to see you all, and the entire Esthar nation, at the wedding reception on the 18th of December held at the Deling City Parade."

Like teenagers' hyper and excited reaction to a high school party, the press reacted just the same. It seemed on the base of all the emotions that things between Esthar and Galbadia were finally looking positive.

* * *

The alarm clock sitting on the night-stand table next to the bed turned to 7:00am and within a millisecond an alarm could be heard. The figure lying on the right side of the bed yawned and placed a hand on the alarm's 'stop' button forcing the tune to stop. The figure lying on the bed arched its back; spread its arms and legs, pulled at its muscles crying out slight cries of morning pleasure. Rolling over and facing the raven haired sleeping on the left, it could make out that she still had her eyes closed. A few streaks of hair were covering her face. The figure blew into the raven haired's face trying to remove the hair. A grumble from the girl's mouth at first could be heard. Laughing the figure attempted again to blow into the girl's face. This time she was more receptive.

"Mmm… Squall." She still had her eyes closed but faintly murmured.

The figure laughed and blew again into the raven haired's face getting the same reply. Finally, after becoming bored of the same reply, the figure started tickling the girl. At this the girl shot open her eyes and burst into a series of laughter a second later.

"st… sto…. Stop… please… stop…" The girl attempted through her laughter. The figure kept on tickling at the raven haired's side, all the while laughing.

"please… stop… STOP IT SQUALL!" The girl finally managed to break free still laughing and looked at the brunette haired figure sitting on her bed.

"I knew that would wake you up." Squall said through his smirk. He lay back down on the bed and looked up at the plastered ceiling.

"Squall, I was having such a nice dream!" Rinoa moaned and pulled the covers back up to cover her body.

Turning to her side he held her slender body under the covers and shuffled closer to her.

"You'd rather dream then be here with me?" He teased.

She poked his shirtless abs, causing him to suck his stomach in on instinct.

"No, but the dream did involve you." She said flirtingly.

"Hmm? What was I doing in the dream?" He asked wanting to know more.

"Not telling." She replied and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You keep sticking your tongue out like that, and I'm going to have to bite it off." He jokingly threatened her.

"Eww." She giggled and snuggled closer to him.

The room seemed colder now, so she held on to him using his body to heat her own.

"You're shaking." He commented when he felt her shudder. "Put some proper clothes on and you wont be so cold."

"No." She said defiantly. "And why'd you set your alarm on a weekend?"

"I didn't, it's automatic." He replied.

"Hm." She replied and looked up to him. "You looking forward to the big day?"

"Yes." Squall automatically replied to her question.

"Really?" Rinoa asked slightly in disbelief.

"Yup, I'd keep on marrying you all over again if I had the chance." He replied smirking.

"You, Squall Leonhart, are a smooth talker." She teased, tickling him back.

Squall reacted on instinct and pulled her hands away. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in again and closed his eyes.

The two were quiet again, the silence surrounding them and covering them in a blanket of drowsiness. Rinoa could feel the tug of sleep on her eyes again and allowed it to overcome her.

Squall's light breathing was all that could be heard as he soon followed Rinoa into the warmth of sleep and loosened his grip on her.

"Hey Squall." Rinoa whispered before drifting back to sleep.

"Yeah." Squall hoarsely replied, the tugging of sleep reeling him in.

"Did Anior and Llauqs end up together then?" She couldn't help but ask.

A smiled crept up to Squall's face as he remembered back to the day they met. She had asked him that question and he had replied without a proper answer.

"Yeah, they did." He answered. And though he had his eyes closed he could sense a smile from her.

Finally sleep was dragging Rinoa out of consciousness. But not before she heard Squall's question.

"Hm?" She asked nearly nodding off.

Clearing his throat slightly he kept his eyes closed and asked again.

"You think we'll be together forever?" He asked again.

Smirking she answered back. "Maybe."

Though she had given him an indefinite answer and he could hear the humour in her voice, the tightness of her grasp on his body told him otherwise. He knew from all their experiences and the way she felt about him, her answer was yes.

"Definitely." They both whispered to each other and finally, clinging onto one another, drifted off into a soundless sleep.

**The End**

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Can you believe that today is exactly 7 months since I started this story?

**I want to thank every fan, and every person who has read and reviewed this story, it really does mean a lot to me.**

**I want to especially thank crepusculo4ever and Trev James for reviewing every chapter on time. I know a lot of other people have done this too, but these two literally review the day I post and never leave an update unreviewed (on all my stories), so thank you for the motivation and encouragement.**

**Also, a major thank you to my good ol' pal n9neSTAR, who will probably read this in a month or two since she is so busy. But this story was posted for her, and it was continued with her encouragement and motivation and I probably wouldn't have written or continued to stay on this site had I not stumbled upon From Riches To Fame.**

**I really hope you all enjoyed this story, I'd be happy to answer any questions on the story, or anything you feel wasn't mentioned. The part with Lauren was very small, that being, Rinoa is just too sweet and cool to bother with idiots like her.**

**So thanks once again, I know I'll read through this and be like "Oh, I should have added this." But, the time has come to finally close this e-book.**

**But, like Squall said, I dont know what tomorrow will bring, but I hope this isn't the end for me. I have more ideas involving Squinoa and can't wait to share them with you all. ^^**

**Niqsta.**


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